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Post by cosmicthought on Jan 29, 2009 12:55:09 GMT
I got this from Bro:. Greg Stewart's Notes.. www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/note.php?note_id=51620012236Oh lord, my God, is there no hope for a widow's son? This story is a tragedy, and not the first and sadly not the last as the economic situation of the United States continues to disintegrate. None of us are immune to the potential loss of job, family, or hope. This particular story stood out to me in the usual daily mix of unrelated news that at times pulls in Freemasonry. Usually the unrelated stories have to do with a traffic accident on a street with the name Masonic, or a victim who is whisked away to a hospital that bears the name Masonic, whether for its location to the said street or from a past connection to one of the fraternities contributions. But this story showed up on a Los Angeles news radio station and apparently one of the network news programs. In short, it is the tragedy and horror of a husband and wife, who having lost their job, decided together (so the note says) to end their lives and the lives of their 5 children. At the bottom of the note, apparently written in hand, was the phrase above in the title "Oh lord, my God, is there no hope for a widow's son?". Apparently, the call came to late, and none were close enough to help him. As I said, this sort of tragedy is on the rise, here in Southern California and across the country. In the last few months there have been 5 such incidents here where one individual has taken the lives of many into his hands and ended them. It leaves me speechless for how to describe it. Perhaps, we can take a lesson from this story, especially as it contains the plea of a fellow widow's son, to hold close the brothers we have in and out of lodge, and be there to support those in need, whether with employment challenges, in financial distress or emotional ones. The term brother is not a superficial one and there is help for the widow's son, all you need to do is reach out and ask. His full note. www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Redacted-Text-Ervin-Antonio-Lupoes-Murder-Suicide-Note.html
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Post by cosmicthought on Jan 29, 2009 13:08:18 GMT
Another reason i became a co-mason, they know the spiritual power of Word's expressed through Divine Wisdom.
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Post by leonardo on Jan 29, 2009 14:08:09 GMT
An extremely sad and tragic event to visit any family.
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Post by maat on Jan 29, 2009 22:43:02 GMT
In Australia, a man threw his 4 yr old daughter off a 65 mtr high bridge yesterday. It was supposed to be her first day at school. I could not watch the news last night and tears well as I write this. How? Why? I can't even bear to think about it.
Sometimes I wonder if life is worth the price we have to pay for it.
Depressed Maat
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Post by cosmicthought on Jan 30, 2009 1:50:25 GMT
This article has gotten alot of Mason's down....the Bro. did not receive "Aid and Assistance!" and it goes to say, what is really a Bro:. or Sis:. is it just word's?
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Post by billmcelligott on Jan 30, 2009 1:54:55 GMT
I believe that there is such a thing as evil, it rises every now and then, sometimes in small incidents, sometimes on a larger scale. I am always amazed at what human beings will do to each other.
Having said that in cases such as these, we listen and try to put our standard logic around what has happened. We have to understand there is no logic involved. These individuals have left our normal world and the way we see it and moved into another world where our terms of reference do not apply. Is it possible that pure Evil takes advantage of such things? It is the only explanation I can understand.
How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth? Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
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Post by cosmicthought on Jan 30, 2009 2:18:55 GMT
There is no such thing as evil!
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Post by billmcelligott on Jan 30, 2009 2:24:06 GMT
There is no such thing as evil! Thank goodness for that. You have another explanation then ?
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Post by corab on Jan 30, 2009 12:34:54 GMT
My dear Bro:., The lodges of our Order work "to the glory of TGAOTU and / or to the perfection of humanity". Absence of dogma and absolute freedom of conscience are landmarks of our Order. Bearing that in mind, do you see anything in that statement at all which perhaps could have been worded in a different manner ..? Another reason i became a co-mason, they know the spiritual power of Word's expressed through Divine Wisdom. h.g.w.,
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Post by cosmicthought on Jan 30, 2009 17:30:18 GMT
That is my opinion, i see a difference between Masculine Freemasonry and Co-Freemasonry I am friend's with PH Mason's and they do not understand why they sit in the NE corner! so would they understand a call for Aid and Assistance? i do not know! and it seems to me the many places that this letter has been posted Freemason's have not seen the point!
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Post by billmcelligott on Jan 30, 2009 22:25:53 GMT
This article has gotten alot of Mason's down....the Bro. did not receive "Aid and Assistance!" and it goes to say, what is really a Bro:. or Sis:. is it just word's? I have to question you on this. We do not know if this Guy is a Mason. We do not know if he asked for aid. We do not know too many things. But this I will say, and I say it with proof to back it up from my own testament, if a man or woman asks a Mason for help, it does not matter if that person is a Freemason or not. It should be given if it is a genuine plea.
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Post by cosmicthought on Jan 31, 2009 0:28:18 GMT
I agree ! alot of those question's have not came to Light... basically they just bring up past emotion of other bad experiences.
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FireMist
Member
Then rally boys, and hasten on.To meet our Chiefs at the Green Dragon.
Posts: 293
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Post by FireMist on Feb 1, 2009 3:06:28 GMT
Probably like the death of a family here in a suburb of the Columbus area, in Whitehall. He never showed his neighbors or anyone else of his deep financial troubles till the call came to the 911 center. The responding personnel found the whole family dead by the father's hands and himself committing suicide. In this case, he never asked for assistance
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Post by leonardo on Feb 1, 2009 8:48:24 GMT
Probably like the death of a family here in a suburb of the Columbus area, in Whitehall. He never showed his neighbors or anyone else of his deep financial troubles till the call came to the 911 center. The responding personnel found the whole family dead by the father's hands and himself committing suicide. In this case, he never asked for assistance That's a good point. Telling if someone has problems of any kind can be quite hard, and unless they themselves are prepared to discuss their difficulties we may never know what was wrong until it's too late. The old adage comes to mind: "A problem shared is a problem halved." This worked in my own case some years ago when I faced major personal difficulties and a very uncertain future...........I found talking to someone to be very effective in helping me to turn things around.
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imakegarb
Member
One wee, sleeket, cowran, tim'rous beastie
Posts: 3,573
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Post by imakegarb on Feb 1, 2009 20:20:23 GMT
First of all, I imagine the Brothers in his Lodge are at least as heartbroken as is every Brother who has heard this story. Very likely more so.
Second, even if he asked for assistance, just because he killed himself doesn't mean it wasn't offered. I know of no Lodge that wouldn't offer some assistance.
What as likely happened is any assistance offered him, by his Lodge or anyone else, likely wasn't enough, in his mind, to save him. I know of few Lodges who could replace even one Brother's salary, let alone that of the Brother and his/her spouse. And for many, that's the only "help" they can imagine. This lack of imagine, I fear, will kill many.
Third, *he* killed his family and himself. HE did this, no one else. I wish him peace in his rest but he did chose this path. I will place the blame no where else.
Among the casualties in this recession will be those who cannot imagine anything but the life to which they'd become accustomed. The idea of living in a shelter or under a dumpster lid (I've done both) is unthinkable to them. Many would rather die.
We certainly want to give as much help and assistance as we can to all our Brothers, those in the Craft and outside it. But there's only so much "help" available and there are those who will decide it isn't enough. If they choose the wrong way out, it is their choice, their decision and their fault. It is not the fault of those who tried to help them.
My thoughts and prayers are with what's left of his grieving family and the Brothers of his lodge.
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Post by maat on Feb 2, 2009 1:48:28 GMT
Having said that in cases such as these, we listen and try to put our standard logic around what has happened. We have to understand there is no logic involved. These individuals have left our normal world and the way we see it and moved into another world where our terms of reference do not apply. Is it possible that pure Evil takes advantage of such things? It is the only explanation I can understand. I agree with you Bill and I do think that we lay ourselves open to 'undue influence from things not understood' when we topple off balance. Thus the instruction that we 'tyle the lodge' (ourself). We need to keep our minds closed to 'foreign thoughts' or thoughts foreign to our usual standards, these are sometimes referred to as the thoughts of 'intruders'. "Fear not for the dead, for all goes well with them" Can't tell you where these words originated from, but they came to me when I lost my 18 yr old sister in an accident. They helped me tremendously. Maat
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Post by cosmicthought on Feb 4, 2009 6:19:44 GMT
I see, and I understand!
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