“By the exercise of Brotherly Love, we are taught to regard the whole human race as one family – the high, the low, the rich, the poor – who, as created by one Almighty Parent, and inhabiting the same planet, should aid, support, and protect one another. On this principle, Masonry unites men of every country, sect, and opinion, and promotes true friendship among those who might otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance.”

This is what we all hear in lodge and what we are encouraged to practice.  So, we embrace our Brothers in lodge, after meals, and as we hastily make our way into or out of meetings.  Some may loan or giveaway clothes, tools, furniture, money, or simply our talent, to those in need.  The best of us reach out to our friends when we haven’t heard from them in a while, seen them in lodge, or some we will even stop by the Brother’s house to see how they are.  However small, these are all good examples of the tenet being put into action within our Fraternity.

However, they are… We are… I am… Guilty of focusing too much on what this means among Brothers.  We allow culture, country, sect, opinion, and any one of a dozen other factors, to distract us from what I am coming to see as the more important part of the statement: “to regard the whole human race as one family.”  We could all stand to remember that when our life and choices are measured, it will be our acts of kindness toward those we don’t know which will carry the most weight.