By Worshipful Brother Walter Augenstein, Past Master of Pleasant Valley Lodge No. 531
After a recent Lodge Officer Installation, I was socializing with my Brother Freemasons at a local restaurant where there were a number of large flat screen TVs, displaying various channels, sports and otherwise. I happened to see a television commercial with the tag line, “better is a never-ending quest.” The commercial featured various demonstrations of athletic prowess, although to be fair, there was one instance of a person in a cap and gown to serve as a token representative of intellectual achievement.
The question came to me, does this represent all that our society and/or civilization regards as “better?” Certainly these represent laudable accomplishments, but again, is this all that there is to “better?” Do they unconditionally make our society, our world "better?"
It struck me that this could well serve as a motto for our fraternity in that our alleged purpose is to make men better, but only if we are able to answer the question “What is better?” Where does that “noble contention, or rather emulation, of who best can work and best agree” fit into the above context? It appears to me that in the drive for more fame, recognition, profits, etc., an entire aspect of life and human behavior is being neglected. It falls to us to proclaim the message that you are more than what you do. You are more to your family, your neighbor, your country, your God and yourself than what you do in the gymnasium or in the classroom or how much money you make. We who are the antecedents of medieval stonemasons know well that there is more to being a man than being proficient at your vocation
or trade.
We use the lessons learned in achieving mastery of our trade as an allegory for the beneficial refinement of our immortal souls, however they are not the end in themselves. The “better” that we profess refers to our interactions with our fellow men (and women) and is best learned in the context of brotherly endeavors. This is what we have done for centuries and will continue ad infinitum.
The phrase itself has a number of attractive features. It is only six words; it is very general; and it packs a powerful message. It refers to the never ending quest that we face in preparing our souls for that house not made by hands. I think that it even beats my previous favorite Masonic motto: “Freemasonry, a blueprint for life.” [Note: this was the 2004 Grand Master’s theme.] In my humble opinion, I think that we should take this, or an equally powerful motto, set it into stone, and saturate the public consciousness with it. Obviously, this is a subjective viewpoint, and I offer it up for consideration as such.
Masons should ask:
What is better?
Masons should answer:
Better families,
Better neighbors, Better citizens,
Better subjects of God
Better men - Masons
