Men sworn to treat each other as brothers are now embroiled in lawsuits over Freemasonry. Brothers from one state are telling a brother in a foreign country who he can and cannot consider a brother. Organizations dedicated to brotherly love deny their members the right to share brotherly love with brothers of a different race. Brothers in lodges are angry at each other over trite and meaningless quarrels that happened years ago. In my own lodge there are brothers who won't speak to each other, and there are those who only begrudgingly accept my hand when I offer them the Masonic grip of brotherhood. Brothers online regularly toss virtual grenades at each other.Clearly, the organization dedicated to brotherly love has some difficulties in making brotherly love anything more than just idle words.
In stark counterpoint comes this story from CNN.
David Kaczynski, the brother of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, has formed a powerful friendship with Gary Wright, one of his brother's victims. Wright was severely wounded in 1987 when he picked up a board in his company's parking lot. The board was rigged to a bomb set by the Unabomber, who was on a crusade against technology. Wright owned a computer company in Utah.
In 1996, a year after David turned in his murderous older brother Ted, he called Gary to apologize for his brother's actions. David, who at the time felt guilty for his brother's insane actions, was overwhelmed by Gary's warmth and compassion towards him.
The two soon met. Wright traveled to the Kaczynksi home in New York and met David and his (and Ted's) mother.
David and Gary have become fast friends. They use the word "brother" to describe each other.
Surely there's a lesson to be learned here. I leave it to you to find it.
— W.S.
Image: Gary Wright (left) and David Kaczynski
Brotherhood | Brotherly Love | Kaczynski | Freemasonry | Unabomber | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com
