Etica della responsabilità - Grande Oriente d'Italia

• 14 •EDITORIALthe opposite is happening; culture and societyare increasingly interested in quantity,and they tend to ignore quality. Wemust have the ethical courage,instead, to claim theprimacy of quality; qualityof thinking and quality oflife. Without these two elements,the risk of goingback to irrational behaviours,to hatred and violenceis very high. This iswhy it is necessary to embracethe quality that requires,first of all, abandonthe language of loneliness,and open up to the worldand other people. Yet, openingup to the world and toother people means developingthe capability tofeel astonishment; just aswe did during our initiation. For this reason– believing that dreams and astonishmentare similar – we must cover thesame path of the masters of dream, so thatwe can become masters of dream, men whobelieve that history is a path that continuesin the greenery; we do not know where itleads to, yet we are certain that it will benice to cover such a path. As Brother Goethewrote: “We continue on our path withoutfears. We always call upon you to befull of hope”.As dream, hope, and ethical sense arethe cornerstones of Masonic learning andquest, according to the Socratic words: “Alife without quest is not worth living”. Thisis why we, as Freemasons, are restless, freefrom dogmas, people who do not settle forsecond best, who look for what is best forthem and other people. Yet, searching doesnot mean being misbelievers.Freemasonry is not – as someonewrongly states – themultiplication of relativismand the mother of nihilism.On the contrary, althoughFreemasonry – as Voltairestated – has always defended,defends, and will continue todefend the wide spectrum ofother people’s values, thisdoes not mean that it renouncesits values. It doesnot mean that Freemasonrybelieves that man must nothave values. It does not meanthat according to Freemasonrypublic life must be ajungle, where the strongest,the most violent, or the smartest, prevail.In fact, Freemasonry believes, like VáclavHavel, that: “Without values and moralobligations, shared and deeply rooted, neitherthe law nor the democratic government,or market economy shall workcorrectly”. Freemasonry places at its corean ethicality made up of man’s timeless values;those values that make men as such.On the other hand, there cannot be knowledgeof the lost words – the very symbolof quest – without an endless love for man,without hesitation and without vacillation.This is shown by the constant militancy ofFreemasonry against those who questionor reject Freemasons, all over the world. Itis not by accident that Freemasonry has2/2010HIRAM