A rare sight.....D.D.G.M. Ron Bacon (on right) and District Superintendent Jeff Knight (on left) exchange ideas and laughs at Lodge. Jeff Knight and Ron are both members of Astra Lodge #179.
(photo courtesy Jesse Carr 2015)
(photo courtesy Jesse Carr 2015)
John McCormack Presented at Lodge Feb 2016 Submitted to Website Mar 2016
Alternative Applications of the Twenty-Four Inch Gauge
As EAs, we learn that Operative Masons used the 24IG to measure and lay out their work. We are taught as F and AM to make use of it for the more noble and glorious purpose of dividing our time: a third of our time is for service to God and a distressed Bro - devotion. A third of our time is for our vocation - something that is regarded as particularly worthy and requiring great dedication. Finally, a third of our time is for refreshment and rest. Refreshment can be thought of in terms of sustenance, literally the food and drink we use to sustain life, but we should also think of refreshment as stimulation – the giving of fresh mental or physical strength or energy. Rest includes periods of sleep as well as a cessation of strenuous or stressful activity. Taken together, rest and refreshment could be thought of as rejuvenation – enabling us to start each new day fresh. Dividing each day equally between devotion, vocation and rejuvenation is a great thing to aspire to but may not always be possible considering the reality of life in Cold Lake, Alberta in the year 2016. It is possible that the 24IG could be used for the alternative purposes of finding balance in our hectic lives, measuring our progress, and teaching us to make the most out of the talents we possess and the opportunities presented to us.
As we prepare to enter the working world our fathers advise us to “make hay while the sun shines.” It is easy to focus on our work to the exclusion of all else – the days begin to blur one into the next and it usually takes a life-changing event (perhaps the passing of a loved one or a sharp deterioration in our health) to bring the concept of balance to our attention. It might not be possible to reconcile a 14-hour workday with the instructions that accompany the 24IG. When we try to resolve this problem for ourselves, we have to look past the literal definition of vocation, a job, and contemplate instead what we do with our time that could be considered “particularly worthy and requiring great dedication.” If the job is answering the phone at an emergency call center, the vocation could be ensuring everyone is able to return to their families safe and sound each night by dispatching help to those who are in distress. Thus the person who answers a phone transcends from mundane to modern-day shepherd, caring for a human flock. We may not be able to rigidly divide our time into three distinct purposes but we may come to find that a 14-hour work day includes periods where we are not engaged in strenuous or stressful activity as well as service to the people around us. As we think about how we spend our time each day, we may find that seeking balance in everything we do throughout the day lives up to the spirit of the original lesson of the 24IG even if it does not follow that lesson to the letter.
We are taught that dividing our time is the more noble and glorious purpose of the 24IG but even its humble origin has a valuable lesson for us as Speculative Masons by giving us a standard by which we can measure our progress. In the Lodge, the newly initiated EAs and FCs are introduced to the concept of memory work and the effort that is required to rise through the Degrees. MMs and the Officers of the Lodge demonstrate a continuance and escalation of that level of effort as they add the care of routine business of the Lodge to the memory work expected of them. Not even a Past Master sits idle! In addition to mentorship in everything that has just been mentioned, PMs also maintain ties with other Lodges by making introductions and forging connections between our newer members and those Lodges. PMs also keep a watchful eye on things to ensure the Lodge stays the course of tradition and does not drift with the whims or fashions of society as a whole. Each member of the Lodge must find a way to incorporate “Lodge work” into their lives in a way that promotes and maintains balance with other commitments. The 24IG advises us to take a measured approach to the way we progress through life, both in and out of the Lodge. Just as the Operative Mason would examine each block of stone, so too should we be mindful of each step we take along life’s toilsome journey – not looking ahead with anxiety toward the unknown future, but using our past experiences as a benchmark to assess our current situation and prepare for the future. That being said, we must keep in mind that although the 24IG represents a standard length by which we can make measurements, it is not intended as an implement for measuring each other. The Masonic application of the 24IG and indeed, each of the WTs respectively, is intended to be inward-focused. As tempting as it may be to measure a fellow Bro or even a person outside the Lodge by our personal standards, we would likely fail to take into account their past experiences and present circumstances which could cause us to judge others unfairly. When we stand before the Great White Throne to be judged for the deeds done in the body, it is not our peers who take our measure, but TGAOTU.
This concept of being measured may call to mind the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). The master leaves his house to travel, entrusting his property to the care of three servants. According to the abilities of each man, one servant received five talents, the second received two talents and the third received one talent (a talent in this context refers to a large sum of money). When the master returns from his absence, he asks each servant to account for the talents he entrusted to them. The first and second servants invested the talents they were given, doubling their value. To them, the Master says “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:23). Unfortunately for the third servant, he simply buried the talent he had been entrusted with. While he was able to return in full what his master had entrusted him with, the servant was punished for squandering the opportunity. In a similar way, TGAOTU has given each of us talents and the opportunity to leverage those talents for the improvement of ourselves and the world around us. Thus we serve God - but what about the distressed Bro? I have a bit of a talent for music and memory which called a line from a hymn to mind: “whatsoever you do to the least of my [B]rothers, that you do unto me.” Perhaps not by coincidence, this is a reference to a passage in the New Testament (Matthew 25:31-40) which comes directly after the Parable of the talents. These passages suggest that when an opportunity presents itself, it is our duty as good and faithful servants to apply our talents - serving our Bros (and society at large) and therefore serving God as well. Opportunity, then, is as precious as talent when we understand that we will be measured on our use of both.
Three alternative applications of the 24IG have been suggested. By taking time to reflect on what Masonry has taught us, we gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Mason. By becoming better Masons, we become better citizens. As we become better citizens, we show the people who surround us how to lead balanced lives, seize opportunities, and measure the progress of the world around us as it changes for the better - which represents a manifold return on any investment we make.
Alternative Applications of the Twenty-Four Inch Gauge
As EAs, we learn that Operative Masons used the 24IG to measure and lay out their work. We are taught as F and AM to make use of it for the more noble and glorious purpose of dividing our time: a third of our time is for service to God and a distressed Bro - devotion. A third of our time is for our vocation - something that is regarded as particularly worthy and requiring great dedication. Finally, a third of our time is for refreshment and rest. Refreshment can be thought of in terms of sustenance, literally the food and drink we use to sustain life, but we should also think of refreshment as stimulation – the giving of fresh mental or physical strength or energy. Rest includes periods of sleep as well as a cessation of strenuous or stressful activity. Taken together, rest and refreshment could be thought of as rejuvenation – enabling us to start each new day fresh. Dividing each day equally between devotion, vocation and rejuvenation is a great thing to aspire to but may not always be possible considering the reality of life in Cold Lake, Alberta in the year 2016. It is possible that the 24IG could be used for the alternative purposes of finding balance in our hectic lives, measuring our progress, and teaching us to make the most out of the talents we possess and the opportunities presented to us.
As we prepare to enter the working world our fathers advise us to “make hay while the sun shines.” It is easy to focus on our work to the exclusion of all else – the days begin to blur one into the next and it usually takes a life-changing event (perhaps the passing of a loved one or a sharp deterioration in our health) to bring the concept of balance to our attention. It might not be possible to reconcile a 14-hour workday with the instructions that accompany the 24IG. When we try to resolve this problem for ourselves, we have to look past the literal definition of vocation, a job, and contemplate instead what we do with our time that could be considered “particularly worthy and requiring great dedication.” If the job is answering the phone at an emergency call center, the vocation could be ensuring everyone is able to return to their families safe and sound each night by dispatching help to those who are in distress. Thus the person who answers a phone transcends from mundane to modern-day shepherd, caring for a human flock. We may not be able to rigidly divide our time into three distinct purposes but we may come to find that a 14-hour work day includes periods where we are not engaged in strenuous or stressful activity as well as service to the people around us. As we think about how we spend our time each day, we may find that seeking balance in everything we do throughout the day lives up to the spirit of the original lesson of the 24IG even if it does not follow that lesson to the letter.
We are taught that dividing our time is the more noble and glorious purpose of the 24IG but even its humble origin has a valuable lesson for us as Speculative Masons by giving us a standard by which we can measure our progress. In the Lodge, the newly initiated EAs and FCs are introduced to the concept of memory work and the effort that is required to rise through the Degrees. MMs and the Officers of the Lodge demonstrate a continuance and escalation of that level of effort as they add the care of routine business of the Lodge to the memory work expected of them. Not even a Past Master sits idle! In addition to mentorship in everything that has just been mentioned, PMs also maintain ties with other Lodges by making introductions and forging connections between our newer members and those Lodges. PMs also keep a watchful eye on things to ensure the Lodge stays the course of tradition and does not drift with the whims or fashions of society as a whole. Each member of the Lodge must find a way to incorporate “Lodge work” into their lives in a way that promotes and maintains balance with other commitments. The 24IG advises us to take a measured approach to the way we progress through life, both in and out of the Lodge. Just as the Operative Mason would examine each block of stone, so too should we be mindful of each step we take along life’s toilsome journey – not looking ahead with anxiety toward the unknown future, but using our past experiences as a benchmark to assess our current situation and prepare for the future. That being said, we must keep in mind that although the 24IG represents a standard length by which we can make measurements, it is not intended as an implement for measuring each other. The Masonic application of the 24IG and indeed, each of the WTs respectively, is intended to be inward-focused. As tempting as it may be to measure a fellow Bro or even a person outside the Lodge by our personal standards, we would likely fail to take into account their past experiences and present circumstances which could cause us to judge others unfairly. When we stand before the Great White Throne to be judged for the deeds done in the body, it is not our peers who take our measure, but TGAOTU.
This concept of being measured may call to mind the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). The master leaves his house to travel, entrusting his property to the care of three servants. According to the abilities of each man, one servant received five talents, the second received two talents and the third received one talent (a talent in this context refers to a large sum of money). When the master returns from his absence, he asks each servant to account for the talents he entrusted to them. The first and second servants invested the talents they were given, doubling their value. To them, the Master says “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:23). Unfortunately for the third servant, he simply buried the talent he had been entrusted with. While he was able to return in full what his master had entrusted him with, the servant was punished for squandering the opportunity. In a similar way, TGAOTU has given each of us talents and the opportunity to leverage those talents for the improvement of ourselves and the world around us. Thus we serve God - but what about the distressed Bro? I have a bit of a talent for music and memory which called a line from a hymn to mind: “whatsoever you do to the least of my [B]rothers, that you do unto me.” Perhaps not by coincidence, this is a reference to a passage in the New Testament (Matthew 25:31-40) which comes directly after the Parable of the talents. These passages suggest that when an opportunity presents itself, it is our duty as good and faithful servants to apply our talents - serving our Bros (and society at large) and therefore serving God as well. Opportunity, then, is as precious as talent when we understand that we will be measured on our use of both.
Three alternative applications of the 24IG have been suggested. By taking time to reflect on what Masonry has taught us, we gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Mason. By becoming better Masons, we become better citizens. As we become better citizens, we show the people who surround us how to lead balanced lives, seize opportunities, and measure the progress of the world around us as it changes for the better - which represents a manifold return on any investment we make.