Montaigne on Frugality and Brotherhood in the Masonic Lodge
What if the key to genuine human connection lies not in what we add to our lives, but in what we dare to strip away? Michel de Montaigne argues in his brief but penetrating essay ‘On the Frugality of Our Ancestors’ that the strength of the ancient Romans came not from abundance, but from simplicity. At first glance, this seems to have little to do with brotherhood or lodge work. But anyone who sits with the essence of this essay long enough will discover a paradox that surfaces again and again in Freemasonry: only when we rid ourselves of unnecessary adornment does real space open up for authentic connection with others. The Paradox of Less In this fifty-second essay of his first book, Montaigne describes how the great Roman statesmen and generals lived with a simplicity that would astonish his contemporaries. Their tables were modest, their clothing functional, their homes unadorned. Yet these were the very men who laid the foundations of a civilization that would endure for centuries. Montaigne points to figures like Cato the Elder, who prepared his meals with his own hands and received guests without any display of pomp. The paradox is striking: fewer possessions, but […]