Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. If you exert a force on an object it will exert a force back. Where there is less resistance than the force exerted, the object will move. Where there is no friction, the object will be set in motion for eternity. It has not been proven whether or not Newton was a Freemason. He was, however, one of the leading lights at the forefront of The Enlightenment. He was a man deeply interested in the physical world, in alchemy, mysticism, and philosophy. As a member of the Royal Society he certainly exchanged ideas and rubbed elbows with many a Freemason.
Newton’s third law operates in the physical world. A similar law operates in the metaphysical world. When we exert a force upon another, we get an equal and similar reaction. In other words, we get what we give. Did you ever smile at someone for no reason? Try it. You just might get a smile back. Did you ever give someone the finger? Did you ever feel a bit of road rage and cut someone off? Have you ever been angry with your wife, the kids, the dog, your brother? What kind of reaction did you get? What kind of reaction did you expect? As Freemasons we are required to keep our passions within due bounds. We are asked to help and befriend poor and distressed brothers. We are asked to work on our character and become better men. We are instructed to increase our learning, to be charitable, upright, and to act upon the square of virtue and morality. These are the actions that we are required to take. What is their equal metaphysical reaction? What type of response should we expect?
Imagine if the five million Freemasons in the world exerted the force of kindness on just one other person? We just might get an equal reaction of another five million people acting with kindness. What would happen if ten million people acted with kindness? What if we acted with kindness and love not to just one other person but to every person we meet? What if we acted that way each and every day? How long would it take to establish the brotherhood of man on earth by being nice just to one person? Every action has an equal and similar reaction. Think before you act.
Live true,
Worshipful Bro. Ralph