Dara S. Esfandiary, 32°
4401 Sedgwick Street, NW
Washington, DC 20016–2713

A childhood anecdote underlines the necessity of truly living Freemasonry.

Not long ago, when making a visit to my parent's home, I was greeted with a big shock! Upon arriving, I noticed a large area of the front lawn burnt to ashes! Alarmed, I raced inside to find out what had happened and to make sure that all was otherwise well. No one knew if accident or vandalism had caused the fire. Needless to say, my parents were very upset but, fortunately, unharmed.

On a subsequent visit two days later, I was again greeted by something unusual. This time it was Raul, a neighbor's 12-year-old boy standing on the burnt grass, apparently surveying the damage. He came up to me and in a solemn, sincere tone said, "I am responsible." I invited Raul inside to talk to my parents. My father was not home, but my mother received the young boy with a warm and affectionate smile, inviting him to have a seat in the living room. Raul proceeded in a surprisingly mature and concerned way to explain what happened.

He and four friends, upon returning home from school, found a book of matches in the street. They decided to see how the nearby dry grass would burn. They ignited a small patch, and the fire spread quickly. Alarmed, Raul's friends ran away leaving him alone with the fire. He tried to put it out by stomping on it, but was unsuccessful. Scared, he, too, ran away. Later, he realized just how much danger he had caused our family and house. He said he and his parents were willing to pay for any damage.

Before Raul was done speaking, I noticed tears welling up in my mother's eyes. She was touched by this young boy's incredible honesty, courage, and sense of responsibility. When Raul was done speaking, my mother responded in a purposeful, yet soft and gentle tone, saying: "I am very glad you came to tell us because we were very worried about the fire and how it got started. I appreciate your honesty, Raul. We all make mistakes. What is important is to learn something from them."

Moved by my mother's kindness, Raul broke into a glowing smile. Clearly, his pride was mended and his spirits restored. My mother asked for Raul's home telephone number and bid him a pleasant day. Later, she called his parents—not to complain about the fire or damage—but to express her admiration for Raul and to compliment them on the fine work they had done in raising their son.

The point of this account is to exemplify the principle of practicing or living one's principles. My mother could have easily used the opportunity to seek financial restitution from Raul's parents. But there was a higher calling. She used the opportunity to encourage and reinforce a boy's sense of integrity and honesty.

Veiled in allegories, yet demonstrated throughout the Degrees, the ties of Freemasonry offer, like this simple anecdote, tools for living. The Masonic principles exemplified in the Degrees are positive, pure, wholesome, substantial, and of overwhelming importance to each person's moral development. Masonry's principles are universal and binding on the conscience of every human being.

But what is the use of learning how to read, if nothing is ever read; or to write, if pen is never put to paper; or to hear, if one does not truly listen; or to see, if one looks the other way? I submit that he who is a Mason at heart is he whose heart is burning to live Freemasonry and, by so doing, to leave a vital legacy of right action regarding family, friends, peers, neighbors and, indeed, Brother Masons.

Albert Pike meticulously incorporated into his ritual and life the lessons he learned from Masonic philosophy. Thus, as Raul was true to the teaching of his family, so did Pike point the true way to living Freemasonry: "Freemasonry is on the lips of many, but in the hearts of few. He who would teach it, must first practice it. And let his good example recommend it to others."

Dara S. Esfandiary is the Vice President/Chief Information Officer of Software Engineering Solutions Corporation. He is a Past Master of Potomac Lodge, No. 5, Washington, D.C. A member of the Scottish Rite, York Rite, and Eastern Star Bodies of Washington, D.C., Brother Esfandiary is also a member of the Correspondence Circle of Quatuor Coronati Lodge, No. 2076, London, England.