The meaning of “Strength” in Freemasonry

 

“Wisdom to contrive, Strength to support and Beauty to adorn”.

“Strength” is a fundamental concept frequently encountered in the Masonic Rituals. The Masonic meaning of “Strength” describes both two concepts:

• The state of being strong, the physical power or the capacity (in Greek called “antohi” – αντοχή).
• The durability (in Greek called “anthektikotita” – ανθεκτικότητα).

We will attempt to clarify these two concepts by using a simple example of material mechanics.

The first attempt to the mechanical characteristics of the materials and their behavior to mechanical stresses created by loads as tension, compression, bending etc. These stresses cause the deformation of this and according to the size of the load, the failure, but without changing the material’s synthesis.

Durability deals with the capability of components to withstand the loads encountered in service, over a specified period of use without failure, occurring in the form of incipient cracks or unacceptable degradation.

To understand the difference between the two concepts, we will have a look at the example of one of the most common materials in nature, the rock.

The mechanical strength of most rocks is practically unlimited. Physical loads that will exceed the capacity of any rocky ground are extremely rare. Any type of structure, from castles to bridges, from tunnels to dams can be founded with no problem to rocky grounds. It can undertake stresses coming from any natural mechanical load, even that of an arbitrarily large earthquake.

But is the rock really indestructible? Maybe, if we are talking only about mechanical loads. But even such powerful materials have no infinite durability. It disintegrates by the water flow on its surface or

by the changing of the phases of the water into its clefts, and breaks into small pieces that are broken into even smaller ones, becoming sand and dust. The mechanical action of the sea waves combined with the chemical action of the salt destroys slowly but effectively even the hardest rocks. The exposure to microorganisms, bacteria, mosses and lichens destroys also most of the physical materials. (This picture is from where “G” blessed me to live, Ialysos, Rhodes). Therefore the difference between the mechanical strength and the durability becomes clear with this simple example. A physical material with great capacity to all mechanical loads is ultimately not so invulnerable to the action of all those extrinsic factors.

Let’s now see it from the Masonic point of view. The perpetual presence of Freemasonry became possible because the Fraternity had the “Strength” (was strong enough) to overcome obstacles and it has the durability to endure difficulties. From the beginning it has been exposed both to mechanical loads and to corrosive environment. The widespread expansion in every place on earth, the admission of people with different cultures, different beliefs, different educational or economical levels, etc. as well as all the variations, rites and rituals have made the dynamic “mechanical loads”. The Fraternity achieves to overtake the stress made by these loads and to preserve its unitary character because it got the “Strength”  to do that.

But there were also many extrinsic factors that violate the Fraternity. Over the ages, it became the subject of extensive conspiracy theories - totally false and unfounded. It has been slandered by most institutions and currents, and became the scapegoat that incriminated for all the major social unrests. All these have made an extremely corrosive environment for the Fraternity, but it had the “Strength” (enough durability) to overtake all that.

Also, as Freemasonry was growing, many people who were completely unsuitable according to the Masonic ideals have joined into the Fraternity. These people have truly acted like bacteria or other corrosive factors. People wicked, selfish, hypocrites, even crooks, who believed that they could hide the ugliness of their souls under the purity of the Masonic principles have joined Freemasonry. They have made deep injuries to the Fraternity exactly as the bacteria, mosses, lichens and other corrosive factors defacing the physical materials. But the Fraternity has the “Strength” (the durability) to overtake even that, by creating self-protective mechanisms.

We‘ve just seen how Masonic “Strength”, has unified these two concepts to one: “The ability to deal with difficult situations or to maintain a moral or intellectual position.” This unification was a main factor affected to the evolution of Freemasonry over the centuries.