zSHARE video - ddbls.avi.flv

This is a video made by Tony Robinson, who played Baldrik on Black Adder. It's about Dan Brown's Lost Symbol Book, and features two of my Masonic Brothers, Akram Elias and S. Brent Morris.

zSHARE video - ddbls.avi.flv

And the Greatest of These is Charity

I wrote an article for the Journal of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, entitled, "And the Greatest of These is Charity."

This is a link to a PDF of the article:

http://dcgrandlodge.org/content/volume-26-number-4-2009#attachments
(please copy this and enter in your browser)

In this time of the year, our hearts and minds are turned to giving. Charity is more than this. It is the source, not the act of giving. Charity is at the heart of all of our religions and best intentions.

I have been corrected on two points: I made an incorrect citation of a passage from the Q'uran, and I misstated that the words were from the Prophet. The words in the Q'uran are from God, conveyed by the Prophet. My apologies for these mistakes.

Also Civilization

Masonry is, at its heart, the mark of civilization. It requires planning, vision, technology and manpower. Groups of people that rely on hunting and gathering, or basic agriculture, seldom have the manpower to spare for projects that take a long time, or don't have a plainly pragmatic purpose. From the classical point of view, religion is practical. Religion informs and insures planting, hunting and life successes. Holy places, therefore, may be viewed as having a practical societal application, beyond social and bonding, which are also important to human survival, and may be served by cultic practices and places.

There are many examples of holy places around the world. Some are more obvious than others, and some have deliberately been efaced by the successors of their particular cult. Exemplifying this are the "high places," spoken of in the Old Testament of the Bible. These religious centers were in competition with the center at Jerusalem, ie the Temple. The Jerusalem priesthood won out in the end, and these centers were destroyed, leaving little or no evidence of their being.

I have chosen to discuss one of the most obvious masonic structures on Earth, and as a consequence of its celebrity, one of the least explored. Stonehenge.

Of course there have been many archeological investigations of this massive structure, begining, perhaps with the Romans, who left markings of their passage carved into the stones. Greek historians wrote about it, and it has been excavated repeatedly up to our day.



Why do I chose this so obvious monument? Because of its implications as a symbol of Masonry in Civilization. The symbols of the structure alone are well known to the Craft, and shan't be discussed at this point, but in the most general terms, I want to look at one symbol, and the overall implication of the monument.



In the first picture, above, you see the first structure of Stonehenge: the henge itself. A henge is a ditch and mound. It forms a false horizon along which an observer located at a Point Within The Circle, may make observations of celestial events, such as sunsets and sunrises, or the rising, setting and travels of other heavenly bodies against a fixed and level horizon. The ditch may be filled with water, and provide another point of view for observation by looking at the reflections of these bodies in the circle of water.

In the second picture, you see "The Long Man of Wilmington," a figure carved through the turf into the underlying chalk. You may notice that he is holding two staves, or columns. In our Craft, the significance of the point in a circle, and the two columns are commonly placed together.

Stonehenge memorializes the two primary solar events of the year, the two solstices; the two columns are reflective of these events as well, as are the saints' days of the Saints John.

So why am I looking at this as a unique memorial? As a unique mark of civilization among people who have been classed as howling barbarians by some archeologists? Why do I see this as unique among paleolithic monuments of the world. Answering these questions is the point of this series of discussions.

Think about the following for our next session: technology, planning, logistics, diplomacy, and devotion.

Civilization?

This is a sort of rambling post. It's feeling my way into what I hope will be a worthwhile look at some of the work of our operative forefathers. I have been looking at neolithic and paleolithic structures in Europe, Asia and Africa. Of course, they are awesome in appearance and stunning to contemplate the sheer labor that they required. Possibly the most stunning thing is that people realized that these structures would last forever.

Did they have a concept of forever? Was this one upsmanship on the part of the rulers, or was it truly a monument to eternity?

Stonehenge is the most famous of these structures, probably. It took generations to build. The circle of small white dots that surround the giant stone structure mirror a cycle of lunar eclipses that alone took at least three generations of observation. Probably more, just to notice the pattern.



I've entitled this post "Civilization?" to ask the question what constitutes civilization. We look at the monumental masonry of Egypt and the Sudan, and we accept them without much of a shock because these were "civilizations." They had lots of labor available and leaders and mathmeticians and priests to encourage, or require that these be built. They paid the laborers with salaries, room and board; good medical care. We look with a bit more surprise at the castles and buildings of Great Zimbabwe, because here we don't have what the west would call a "civilization" on the scale of Egypt. Of course this is ridiculous, because clearly these monuments are sufficient record of a great and advanced civilization. Or are they? That's the theme of this entry and some more to come.

In the case of Stonehenge, the builders of this would be, by our standards, howling barbarians, with the most primitive social structure: hunter/gatherers, possibly nomadic, certainly ruled by strength, not democracy. Or were they? This building required vast astronomical, engineering and masonic knowledge. It required a sense of eternity.

Eternity, because the place is unneccesary. The giant stones, imported from long distances were not needed for any practical purpose. There is evidence of less permanent sites that served similar purposes with similar technology. Sites build of wood, like "Woodhenge." that show only the stubs of the standing logs that remain in the earth.

This was a society that was short on wealth. People had to hunt for food, clothing and shelter. If you didn't produce, you died. And yet they fed, clothed and housed several generations of workers, scientists and priests who were producing only this immense structure. This is evidence that this society placed value on other than mundane things.

An argument can be made that there was a practical purpose for such a structure as stonehenge: agricultural, religious, political. It is generally understood that Stonehenge is an observatory as well as a temple. And yet, a far less complex structure would have served as well, and did in many other places. Was this, then the ego of some forgotten ruler, a British Ramses, memorializing himself with a lasting structure? Hardly likely. No one would remember who built it withing a few generations. No one does.

No, this is a memorial to the mind of man. It is conceived and executed as a building unto eternity. It brings together geometry and hard real nuts and bolts building. Or rather big, heavy stone building. Stones harder than than the tools available to work them. Stones that required marine engineering, masonry, and transportation. It requred logistics and vision.

I hope to expand upon this exploration of these monuments. Perhaps we can find other meanings and purposes for them to share with one another. Any references and ideas are welcome.

Frugality

Just a thought: for the sake of frugality? How many of us repair stuff? How many sew on new buttons, or stitch up torn pants? Can a TV even be fixed these days? Why can't a car run as well as a refrigerator compressor? How many of our missing brethren have we contacted in 2008 to invite them back to lodge, or even just to see how they're doing?

Not to dun anyone for dues, but for brotherly love?

Selling Freemasonry

Nick Johnson at the Millinneal Freemason blog asked the question about Selling Freemasonry. You know the question: should we do it. He cited some good examples of websites and advertising for the Craft that have been put up by various authorities. I'm exploring this idea further. I just got started with putting my thoughts together, and I'm using a Mind Map to make my notes. I decided, for the sake of spontaneity to post my first take on the Mind Map. Those interested can look at the points that I'm considering, and take 'em apart one by one, or in whole. Please let me have your input. Open the JPG in your image viewer to see where I'm going with this. Follow the ideas from the center of the map outward.



You'll notice this is a bit more nitty-gritty. I've been looking at the physical presentation that some of our facilities, and yes, our brothers, make to the public. This may be as important, and easier to fix, than some other items.

I went to a meeting a while ago in another jurisdiction, where the sidewalk and stairway was so covered by trash that it took a 60 gallon trash bag to pick it all up. It was an open meeting, so non members were going to have to pick their way through this to get in. People driving by saw it daily.

There's peeling paint, badly written (or even spelled) signs, uncut grass, and weeds in the cracks of the sidewalks at some of our "temples." Is this good selling, or what IS it selling?

Let's talk about it.

Thanksgiving

Brothers and Sisters,

I know it's late, or is it, what day is it? I know it's late, but the Thanksgiving season has found me more square than ever (and I mean L7), and I've been contemplating what I have to be thankful for.

One thing for sure is that I'm thankful for all of you. For letting me share your thoughts and mine; for accepting me into your life, and for the Craft that we all work in. This has been a revealing and thought provoking year for me, and you all have been part of it.

Thank you all,

Research Tool and Organization

Research Tool and Organization

I'm playing around with a new tool for research and organization.  Anyone who knows me knows that I love gadgets and elaborate stuff that's supposed to make life easier, but usually just clutter things up.

Well, my new one is Personal Brain which is a type of mind mapping tool with a dynamic interface that changes when you focus on a particular node, or thought.  You can link to files, link to webpages, link to calendars, people and images.  You can create documents within the program, and launch such applications as MSWord and others.

This post is being done in Google Documents, which says that it will publish it to my blog.  This is mainly to test that idea.

So, I apologize for not giving my usual deep wise words of wisdom from the depths of wise thought stuff, but this is mainly a test.

Lessons Learned

It's Saturday Night. I've just finished working with the brothers at the Scottish Rite at our reunion, presenting the degrees to our new brothers. I worked as a sound assistant for the PA system for several of the degrees, and I was the Assistant Expert in the 32nd Degree. I worked with a lot of the "White Hats." These are guys who have been awarded the highest degree in Scottish Masonry, the 33rd degree. They are men who have labored long in the quarries, and have been honored with this honorary degree for their contributions.

They were doing the "grunt work," for their new brothers and for the Rite. They were helping people get dressed for the degree work. They were moving props. They were serving hot dogs and cleaning up after meals. They got there at 5:00 am, so we could start at 6:00. They parked cars and served as ushers. Sure, there were others too: Red Hats and Black, and Knights of St. Andrew. The core of the workers wore White Hats.

This was a palpable lesson in Brotherly Love for me, and should have been for anyone watching.

When we are asked to help out,we need to think of these brothers. We need to put our egos on hold, and maybe our interests. What we want to do will come. What we need to do is right there in front of us.

Election 2008

It's now 11:13 p.m. on November 4, 2008. National Public Television has just announced that Senator John McCain has called Senator Barak Obama to concede the election for President of the United States. As we all know this is an historic election in many ways. Senator Obama is the first African American to be elected President in our history. What does this say about our history of division and prejudice in this country? I don't know yet. My son just said, "Hooray for Liberal Guilt!" Is this what this is about? Was this decided on the basis of race? I don't know. I hope not.

In Scottish Rite Freemasonry we are enjoined to be Soldiers of the People. Not to be governed by the cowardly forces of party and division. Senator McCain has just given the best speech of his life, stating his belief in these principles, and that Senator Obama represents a healing of these divisions, and that he, Senator McCain, hopes that he may be able to work with President Obama to bring our country into a greater unity. "Please believe me when I say that no association means more to me than that of being an American. I have been a candidate for the presidency, and now I am once more it's most loyal servant."

We need to pledge ourselves to this same goal, as stated by Senator McCain. That demagoguery and partisan politics must be put aside to make our country as great as its historic potential.

Zombies in Plain English

Treason of the Mind

When we are brought to the light, we are enjoined to seek further light. Among the sources for this light are included the Seven Liberal Arts. We are told to study and discuss. Another primary source is the Great Light of Masonry, and other VSLs. Each of these books are of value to a person seeking more light.

One of the stumbling blocks to a search for enlightenment or any other pursuit of knowledge, is the voice in our head. We come to any study or discussion with a full blown picture, complete with sound and color, of the issue at hand. It's more than opinion. It is full blown knowledge. It is worth noting that the type of knowledge spoken of here is that which is in the book of Genesis in the King James Translation of the Bible. It isn't an intellectual agreement or construct, but an intimate joining with, such as the way Adam Knew Eve. No one dies for intellectual constructs, but many martyrs have died for this second type of knowledge.

Unfortunately, this knowledge isn't necessarily accurate. It is colored by our experiences and our level of intellectual attainment. This isn't a hierarchy of one person being more advanced than another due to education, but a quantifiable pile of information. Some people have a bigger pile than others, particularly in areas they are interested in.

Freemasonry enjoins us to seek knowledge and enlightenment in areas that are not in vogue these days. I know many men with advanced degrees who don't recognize the scriptural references in our rituals. They are well educated, but haven't looked into these windows. For many, the Bible is one area that the window is truly one of colored glass. Many have read through it, and can quote it extensively, and still see it, as through a glass darkly.

The question of Evil, what is the nature of it, what is the source of it, who is the agent of it and what is to be done about it is discussed freely among us, and in the Bible. It just isn't as easily answered as many of us think. We bring our own hearing and reading to the material, and often it isn't in touch with what's there in the words.

Satan isn't some horned devil in the Bible. Lucifer isn't synonymous with Satan. Evil is not a substance that is poured over us, and certainly Satan isn't the source or agent of it. Biblically speaking, that is.

Dealing with the simplest of these statements first, Lucifer isn't Satan, or the source of evil: Lucifer is referred to only in the King James translation. The name isn't used in any other English translation. Lucifer is the title of the King of Babylon, and his fall is given as a sign by Isaiah. Later, in Revelations, the real translation of this name, as Light Bearer is given to Christ.

But anyone can tell you that Lucifer is the Devil! It just isnt so.

Satan is a bit harder to pin down. If you're a Mormon, Satan is a brother to Jesus and a son of Heavenly Father, who rebelled. Biblically, Satan is a being who tempts man to do that which man by nature wants to do: choose the wrong path. In the Book of Job, Satan is on the same plain with God, and they have a discussion about the faith and fate of mankind as exemplified by Job. Satan doesn't do the bad things to Job.

To cut this short, and save bandwidth, Evil is the otherside of good. The Supreme Architect designed and created only good in this universe, and yet the universe is finite. That which wasn't created is what we call evil. It is manifested and made real by our own disobedience, a tendency we inherited, according to the Bible, from our original ancestors. This tendency to choose evil, or nothingness, or lack of life, is the original sin we inherit. In it we choose nothingness, death, or "the outer darkness."

We are the agents of evil. Mankind brought evil into this world. Disobedience is its source. Free will, or Free Agency, absolute freedom of conscience, is the mechanism by which it works. And all of these are what makes us actually superior to the angels. As Jesus told Thomas, blessed are those who believe without having seen. The angels live in the presence of the Ultimate Good at all times, and can thus easily choose good. We are constantly tested and tempted, and often choose the wrong. Without that choice, the Great Architect would be the Great Dictator.

Don't believe anything I've said. Test it for yourself. Look in the sources, but first try, with all your might, to let go of your preconceived notions and pictures. That's the challenge of Freemasonry. To let go, and take the leap in the darkness that can lead to light, or maybe just to more darkness.

Maryland Masons in History

John MacAdam, the inventor of the road surface named after him was a Mason. His Macadam surface for roads, consisting of crushed stone that compacted under use, was first used in the United States in Maryland.

The first macadam surface in the United States was laid on the
"Boonsborough Turnpike Road" between Hagerstown and Boonsboro, Maryland.
By 1822, this section was the last unimproved gap in the great road
leading from Baltimore on the Chesapeake Bay to Wheeling on the Ohio
River. Stagecoaches using the road in winter needed 5 to 7 hours of travel to
cover 10 miles.

It never fails to surprise me how much influence such a small state as Maryland has had in the history of our country.

Sustaining Membership

It's been a rant of mine for a while. It's becoming a rant for more than just me. It's about how do we revive and sustain our membership. It's about Brotherhood. It's about Morality. It's about Friendship. Not only are finances (non payment of dues) involved, but the wellfare of our individual members, and the collective wellfare of our institution. This posting stems from a discussion of non payment of dues, and is part of my take on this subject.

I hope that this stimulates a few people to chime in with ideas of how to solve this problem. It is solvable. It requires work.

I've done some talking with others at our S.R. meeting. A couple of the brothers are professional marketers. I have done my share of that sort of thing in the past as well, having run my own business for several years before retirement. I was reminded that what we're talking about when we talk about sustaining membership is marketing. The same principles apply.

In a marketing program, it's statistically true that a mailing (Trestleboard) has a 1% response rate. That's 1% calling back; not 1% buying. Keeping customers (Brothers/Members) requires much more work, and bringing back those who have fallen away, even more. The reason it takes more work is that there are several factors involved in them not returning: they might be bored; they might be angry; they might be too busy; they might be too sick; they might not have money. Any of these could contribute to the belief that "there's something wrong," with me or with the others. I don't fit. Masonry is for the rich, or Masonry is for the good old boys, or "they just don't like me."

When I ask what's being done about reviving members, I'm told, by almost everyone I ask, "Well a couple of years ago, we set up a phone committee, and called everyone. They didn't answer the phone, and didn't answer our post cards, so trying to contact them doesn't work." If you did this in a business, you'd be out of business within 6 months. Reviving members who no one's seen requires research, repeated contacts, and personal effort. What are the most excellent teachings of our organization? Is not caring included in each of those teachings that are between the points of the compasses?

In my opinion, our attitude toward missing NPD brothers has to be one of "What's wrong here, can we help?" rather than these guys are a financial drudge, and need to be purged. At least until we find out differently.

How do we find out differently? How do we find customers for our businesses? Research, advertising, personal contact.

It's a big job, and it's getting bigger. some of us have responsibility for the operation and success of our lodges. This includes financial success and it includes fraternal considerations. Perhaps the system of inherited offices, men moving up in the line, needs to be looked at. When you move to an office in line, do you get that this carries real responsibility for real assets and real people, not just for knowing ritual. Perpetuation of ritual is very important. Perpetuation of the Craft is too. Our brothers are at the heart of it.

SteveB
Birmingham #188
Maryland

Building the Parthenon

There is a new Nova Science Now Production coming up on PBS this week. It's about building the Parthenon: how the Masons designed and carried out the building.

You can see a webpage of it here:

SteveB,
Maryland

Normal

"We've tried that, and it didn't work." "No one's interested in that." "Those guys haven't been here in so long that we don't even know where they are."

FreemasonFromTheFreestate has ranted about this in the past, but it seems to me that it's the responsibility of those who are active in our Lodges to see to the needs of all, especially those who are inactive. It is a problem. Our records are incomplete when it comes to brothers who haven't been around for a while; no one has time to bring the records up to date; calling the numbers that we have takes time and the ability to handle rejection.

Our population is aging. Many of our missing brothers need help to get anywhere, let alone to Lodge meetings. Those who don't need help to get there, figure that they don't know anyone anymore, and no one cares whether they show up.

I hear from every one I talk to about the dichotomy between how many members are on our roles, and how few show up to meetings, that this is normal.



There's a parable about normalcy that I've illustrated in the two pictures here. They show Betas in a fish bowl. Betas live their whole life in the fish bowl. Some have little castles or plants or divers to make their lives full. They usually don't have other Betas, because they fight. Anyway, Betas live their whole life in this bowl.

They swim around all happy, preening and displaying their colors. They wiggle with happiness when you feed them. They do everything in there. They eat, swim, play with the diver, and poop in there. The more you feed them, the more they poop.



As time goes on, the clear bowl I've shown first, becomes the second bowl. Cloudy, stinky. The fish doesn't wiggle much anymore. He doesn't play with the diver. He doesn't preen or show his colors. He kind of hangs there. Drooping.

Do you know what the fish calls this? He calls it normal.

Scottish Rite

I have taken the 32 degrees of the Scottish Rite, in the Orient of Maryland. It is the most exciting part of Freemasonry for me so far. I am currently working my way through the Master Craftsman program, which is a series of directed readings and examinations that focus your thoughts.

One of the questions in each of the tests, is what interesting or surprising thing have I discovered in my readings. There has been much that surprised me. Probably the most surprising thing about my whole experience is how many truly nice, admirable men and women I've met. I have included women because in our Valley, it's a family affair. Of course, at 59, I truly lower the average age in the room when I come in, and so there aren't a lot of kids toddling around. When my wife came to our first dinner, she was absorbed by the ladies there, and treated as a long lost friend. And so have I been.

Of course, we're meeting on the level with the high poobas of the state and Grand Lodge. Sit at table with three or so PGMs, and the current GM. We ain't exactly buddies yet, but we are brothers.

Then there's the content of the lessons of the degrees. I don't know how much is public and how much I need to shut up about, so I'll be very discrete. Suffice it to say that I'm struck with elation about the obligations I've taken, and to intellectual excitement by the demands to not just see or hear the ritual, but to know and live it. The theme is to build on the most valuable tenets of our craft through an expansion of the mythos of the building of the temple.

The choice of a craftsman, a builder, even a master builder, as our hero has been brought to a greater level of clarification for me. That a man, by his ability is elevated to talk and plan with kings has truly profound implications for us all.

While writing this, I'm going to go off on a train of consciousness thing for a bit: I was about to say "for society," in the preceding paragraph, but that is trite to the point of meaninglessness. The meaning is to us. We are society. We are the nation. Our participation is required for any of these structures to function. This isn't politics. It's the nature of the world.

Many of our earliest brothers were part of the age of enlightenment, both in philosophy and in science. They were looking to find out the nature of God by studying his works, and to find the nature of the world. This is it. The nature of the world is participation. Governed by the Law of Love.

Research Tool

I am not one to avoid obcessions. My latest is inspired by studying my new membership in the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Orient of Maryland, Valley of Baltimore. I have received my 32 degree, and am studying the meanings and history of the rituals and the Rite. For any Master Mason who is reading this, I recommend highly that you join the Scottish Rite. If you are interested in a new level of brotherhood, join the Scottish Rite. If you are interested in the more philosophical and esoteric aspects of Freemasonry, join the Scottish Rite. If you are in Maryland, let me know, and I'll see to it you get a petition.

In studying the information I was given, I was looking for an interesting way to take notes on my reading. I've always been one to want a system to make thhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
insert linkis more fun. I have found a very good one. It's called Mind or Concept Mapping. Mind Mapping was developed and copyrighted by Tony Buzan, and he offers a lot of information on it on line, including a good software package. Concept mapping was developed by several sources, but was brought together by David Novak and Alberto Canas. I am using C-tools, which is a free program being inplemented by the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition.

These systems, and I use them together, are great for note taking, because they are free form, and you don't have to fit things onto a line, and then have to try to insert information later. Information is put on the paper in "Nodes," which are connected into concepts or thoughts. These Nodes are integrated with mnemonic devices, such as pictures, videos, notes or hyperlinks to expand them and imprint them on your mind. The nodes are key words, with little to no elaboration, except in the notes and images. In university studies, people using mapping retained more than people using standard outline type note taking.

Mapping requires two main things: Interest and Organization. All memory systems require this, but this one is fun. Use colors, pictures, drawings by your own hand and organic shapes. Tony Buzan holds that the organic shapes refect the structure of your mind, which, according to him is radial, not linear. Few things in nature are linear.

I have included a map of my schedule for next week. In C-map, it can be updated or manipulated very easilly, and shared on line with anyone interested, and allowed by your own security settings.

Summer Reading List

As Masons, and as citizens, we are encouraged to educate ourselves. In the Second Degree, Masons are recommended to familiarize themselves with the Liberal Arts, which adorn and polish the mind. As citizens, we need to have grounding in which to form our decisions, as well as to entertain ourselves. Hopefully both can be done together.

For some reason, ignorance is being encouraged in popular culture today. How many situation comedies have the hero, or the head of the household, criticizing anyone in the family or group of friends who enjoy learning or show any indication of trying to improve themselves intellectually? Think, Simpsons, or The King of Queens, or Two and Ahalf Men. Seinfeld did it differently, but with the same attitude. I enjoy most of these shows. They're clever, and obviously written by people who didn't take the advice to avoid intellect, but they're insidious because of their enjoyability.

So, after reading a couple of other blogs that have dealt with the issue of reading lists, I'm submitting one of my own. Please make additions or deletions:

The System of the World, by Neal Stephenson
Catch 22, by Joseph Heller
De Rerum Natura, (in Latin or English) by Lucretius
Dialogues, by Plato
A Hat Full of Sky, and the sequels to it, by Terry Pratchett
In Fact, any book by Terry Pratchett
The Age of Reason, by Thomas Paine
Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegutt
The Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad
Moby Dick, by Herman Melville
1984, by George Orwell
The Attack on Reason, by Al Gore
The Gallic Wars, by Julius Caesar
Candide by Voltaire

There are many more. You must read Huckleberry Finn, for its perspective on childhood, fatherhood and race in America, The Mysterious Stranger, for Twain's take on war and nationalism, Major Barbara, and Man and Superman, by George Bernard Shaw, and The Playboy of the Western World, by Synge, just to see what a well made play is about.

These books help provide a context within which decisions can be more valuably be made. There are many more.

What do you suggest?

Here's a good place on line to start looking at some of these books, not to mention Amazon.com

With Friends Like These?

This video is deliberate political satire, and it addresses an issue that we all face in whatever group or endevour we are engaged. Everyone wants to help. Where does the impulse to help come from, and what is its effect? These questions need to be considered whenever we are moved in this direction. Sometimes it's better to just shut up!



The impulse to help at first seems to be completely altruistic. We see a need, and we know that we can make it better. We want to improve the life of a person or a group, and promote the general welfare. Often, though, it comes from an attitude of superiority. We are better than, know more than, can fix the problem that this poor individual has better, more, quicker, than this person or group can on their own.

Often this really seems to be the case. They're really stuck. They're really wrong.

I can solve any problem you have in two minutes. If you'll only listen to me and do what I say, your problem is solved. The world is made better.

There is another space from which this impulse can come. That space recognizes the individual or the group of individuals, as capable and whole in and of themselves, and may want or need assistance to move from a stuck place. It's a subtle difference, but a significant one.

Helping often generates heat instead of light. Assisting can make both parties much lighter. A way to know where you're coming from on this is the level of satisfaction experienced in the outcome. We're looking for a win-win situation. Acknowledging the ableness of a person makes both parties come away smiling.