Dara S. Esfandiary, 32°
4401 Sedgwick Street, NW, Washington, DC 20016-2713

Truth is a divine regulator bringing good governance and structure
to every aspect of human existence.

We often hear "Truth is a principal tenet of Freemasonry," but what does this really mean? Webster's Dictionary defines truth as "sincerity in character, action and speech, the quality or state of being faithful, the facets of reality."

Truth, in fact, is a divine regulator, extending beyond just speaking forthrightly to bringing good governance and structure to every aspect of human existence. From its most basic form of incontestable mathematical axioms to more evolved social, religious, political, and judicial tenets, truth serves humanity as an anchor of reality whereby we gain equilibrium. The anchors of reality embodied by ancient and accepted universal truths foster a common intellectual and moral environment for people of differing cultural, religious, racial, social, and juristic backgrounds, helping them to live together harmoniously in civilized society as they pursue life with liberty, equality, and justice.

These tenets, handed down and reaffirmed from generation to generation, serve as inner points of reference and help us satisfy our basic need for peace and harmony. The moral and philosophical framework of truth empowers us with the perspective and capacity necessary to help free ourselves from the tyrannical grip of intellectual and moral complacency, stereotype, prejudice, and misanthropy so that we may the more readily venture to ever greater heights of patience, tolerance, knowledge, and wisdom. This journey, illuminated by truth, heads toward absolute light.

Taken together, we find the many resplendent facets of truth to be as perfect ashlars uniting to form the building blocks and stepping stones by which man, as an intelligent thinker and morally grounded being, is able to scale close to that otherwise inaccessible summit of absolute truth which man, since time immemorial, has endeavored to reach-ever drawing near to it, yet never able actually to reach it.

Truth, as one of Freemasonry's principal tenets, explicitly manifests itself in our creed and code of conduct and implicitly in the vast array of Masonic allegory and Degree symbolism. To the uninitiated, many of these truths may be veiled. But, by studying the various forms, meanings, and purposes of the symbols and allegories of the Masonic Degrees, synthesized by thoughtful introspection, one is certain not only to resolve the unintelligible but also to expand his moral and intellectual horizons. The Degrees offer opportunities to experience, through dramatization, the many truths that have been preserved since antiquity in Freemasonry. Transcending time as well as cultural and religious barriers, these truths enrich our lives by serving as important building blocks of our moral and philosophical character.

All Masonic Degrees conspicuously and purposefully concern themselves with binding affirmations of universal truths. The obligations would not be binding on the conscience of a man unless truth were the basis of his representations. In other words, if he did not believe in God, but took an oath in the name of God, to what degree, if at all, could his obligation be considered binding upon his mind and conscience? The basis of obligating a man in Freemasonry begins with truth, and the Candidate receives more truth, more light, as he moves through the Degrees in proportion to his preparedness to receive the light of the Degrees.

It comes as no surprise, then, that a typical Mason is one who is true to himself and others. For him, truth is an integral part of his existence and the very fiber of his moral being. It is the means by which he is able to circumscribe his desires, keep his passions in due bounds, and expel from his lifestyle any conduct that is not in harmony with his belief system, his truth.

Ascending the mountain of truth not only enriches the traveler's moral and philosophical perspective but also imbues him with circumspection and a certain clarity in seeing, hearing, feeling, and thinking. He is less occluded by the many diversions and superficialities of the world and more open in heart and conscience to an ever-stronger sense of moral conviction, personal purpose, and the noble ambition to seek more light.

Brother Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe once wrote: "It is easier to perceive error than to find the truth, for the former lies on the surface and is easily seen, while the latter lies in the depth, where few are willing to search for it." And so it is that we, as Freemasons, govern our thoughts and actions with unconditional faith, ever seeking and speaking the truth.

Dara S. Esfandiary serves as Data Manage-ment Officer for the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C. He currently also serves as the Grand Orator of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia and as the President of the Georgetown Masonic Hall Association. He is the Past Grand Pursuivant of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia and a Past Master of Potomac Lodge, No. 5, Washington, D.C. Brother Esfandiary is a member of the Scottish Rite, York Rite, and Eastern Star Bodies of Washington, D.C., and is also a member of the Correspondence Circle of Quatuor Coronati Lodge, No. 2076, London, England.