To Subdue My Passions

"...To Subdue My Passions..."

It seems like this is an easy little phrase, but I think that perhaps it can be misunderstood as easily as understood.

'To Subdue' does not mean 'To Eradicate.'  We, as Freemasons are not seeking to eradicate our passions or to remove them from our lives, for without passion life is without color and vibrancy, it becomes nothing but a dull emotionless grey.  We are seeking to master and control our passions so that they are ruled by our will, and not allowed to control us.

This mastery or control sets us apart from those masses of men who like the animals are driven by little else than base need and passion.  We seek to rule our desires and passions with our reason.  When we succeed in this we have mastery over ourselves.

'My Passions' is not limited to those things that society considers to be bad somehow, or that we consider to be bad.  Our passions are things that are both good and bad.  In turn, we must master and control both the good and the bad for even a passion for a good, if taken too far can become a negative.

The old adage is true, too much of a good thing can turn that good thing bad.  Moderation in even our positive passions is a goal that should be striven for, as is called for in our shared ritual.

Our positive passions drive us towards excellence and greatness when properly controlled by our will and directed by our reason.  Without this direction and control they must either loose their power to positively change us or rebound to harm instead of help.