Jun 2003

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RW DGM's Message for June 2003

VALUE AND CAPITAL

Many years ago, at University, I had a Textbook on Economics, written by Prof: J.R. Hicks with the same title as I have given to this message. However we shall not propound the theories of that respected publication but borrow just its title for my immediate purpose.

Our value systems enriched and endowed by millennia of moral thought, exposition, and religious indoctrination seems to have got separated from our Daily life and its practise. Masonry constantly reminds us of our systems of morality, but the allegorical veil appears to keep it from private or public demonstration.

Whether it be individual pride, by which I mean self-respect, or national pride, something seems to deter us from the normal practice of delivering what we promise, whether it be in the delivery of goods or services. Just at the time of writing I read a report in a National Newspaper of our Natural Honey fetching three times the export price of Chinese Honey, as the latter was found by International testing, to contain induced anti-biotics. A matter for national pride, celebration, and perhaps long-term commercial benefit, one would have thought. Not for a moment! Some of our exporters have imported Chinese Honey which is so much cheaper than ours, because of the doubts of its quality, and have mixed the import with our higher cost Natural product, to achieve a short-term cost and profit advantage which will ultimately spoil our brand. There goes another possible winner, because of our adulterated value system, leading to an adulterated product an example of national pride belittled and to everyone's long-term material disadvantage.

If we as Masons, can provide, in whatever public or private avocation, an undiluted value system - merely by delivering on our promises, maintaining certain standards of public and private conduct - all given in our much memorized rituals, we shall have done a great service to our community, our nation, and of course to our own fraternity.

Such a value system if it can deliver, can form a source of (social) capital, for it builds goodwill, trust and confidence, all necessary components for transactions of any kind - personal or commercial. Ultimately, just as Honesty is the Best Policy, so is the delivering of value - real value - which finally is transformed into CAPITAL. Even materially speaking, a worthwhile goal to achieve!

While our modes of recognition, and their relative secrecy have drawn more than their share of attention from the popular world, the more vital raison d'etre of our fraternity - the practice of every moral and social virtue has alas! been rather less recognized and acknowledged.

So let us concentrate a bit more on the practical manifestation of our obligations!