“In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.” Thurgood Marshall.The father of on of my dearest friends was an attorney who worked with Thurgood Marshall on the Little Rock School Desegregation case. It was through Richard Branton that I was invited to attend the Wiley Branton Symposium at Howard University in Washington DC, and have dinner with a most impressive lady, Cecelia Marshall. Mrs. Marshall told me of the many evenings her husband would go off to a Lodge meeting, and how much he enjoyed them.
Considering the lives and legacies of Justice Marshall and Wiley Branton, I am struck with the idea the the flip side of tolerance is respect. We see too few examples of respectful dialogue and disagreement in our society.
Masons can and should model a respectful and tolerant attitude. True, we often fall short of the mark, but we are human. But that does not mean that we should not learn from our shortcomings and commit to - and perform - in a respectful and tolerant manner in the future. As good men, striving to be better, we can do no less.
