IS IT WRONG TO DREAM OF BETTER THINGS?

Having just celebrated 50 years in the business of broadcasting, I look back and see just how much my perception of the world has changed. I was working on the news desk when Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were assassinated, when Neil Armstrong stepped out of the lunar lander and walked on the moon, when the Watergate situation eventually led to the downfall of a U.S. President. When wars between men of different faiths, different countries and different backgrounds threatened to tear the world apart. I have been privileged to have interviewed and talked with a number of U.S. Presidents, British Prime Ministers, and men and women who have shaped the world we live in today. It seems to have gone by in a heartbeat.

Broadcasting is a business that can break your spirit if you let it. The constant bombardment of things negative about the globe. The images of death and destruction. Trying to deal with the horror of watching 9-11 unfold. Trying to find the good in society and not only focus on the bad.

For those who say “isn’t there any good news out there?”, I say, “of course there is. We just have to look for it.”

And there is good news. And Freemasonry is a great example of that good news. We have a group of people dedicated to making the world a better place to live. And we should relish that good news. There are few enough people working to that end. And every little step we take to help those around us live a better life is a step forward, not backward. And we cannot lose sight of that in the midst of all that is going on around us. It is so easy to fall prey to the negative and ignore the positive. We have people in our Craft who work with those far less fortunate, trying to find ways to help them up and get them on their feet. In the despair of the homeless, we have people working to bring hope. For those suffering, we try to help during their time of trial. We have people working to provide benevolence to those who need a helping hand. We have people working to tip the scales of justice so that those who need a defender get one, and those who need to be punished receive their just reward. We have people providing lifegiving support to those who require medical attention. We have police officers, firemen, lawyers, doctors, nurses, caregivers, politicians, and so many more who use our Masonic ideals to guide their lives and bring a ray of sunshine to places where the sun isn’t seen often. These are people who dream of better things. They are the leaders, they get the bigger picture of what needs to be done.

Those who dream of better things, of a better life for themselves and others, are often accused of being silly, of wasting their times chasing rainbows, of deluding themselves into thinking they can make a difference. And of course we know that dreaming is only part of the equation, we also have to “do” to make those dreams come true. But the dreams don’t come true unless we have them in the first place, and give us the inspiration to take the next step. For those who would dare to dream, my suggestion is to dream big, to ignore those who have yet to see the light, to work to provide a better way for those in despair, and never let yourself lose sight of the fact that, as Freemasons, dreaming of better things is what makes us who we are. People who make a difference in our world, every single day.

Dream on!!

-MWB Doug Collins