Alhambra Masonic Lodge no. 322

From the South

July 2008

Sometimes I don't have answers

It's a nice feeling really, that there is a part of the human experience that is to me, still unexplored. I take it as a message that there is still a mystery to be solved, a new place for my mind to wander.

When I was younger, I would look for answers, I wanted to know why things are the way that they are. At first I looked to science; it told me why the sky is blue, how the birds flew, how sunlight, water and dirt managed to transform into carrots and other amazing edible things. There are a lot of good answers in science.

As I matured, I came across questions that hard science seemed ill-equipped to answer: Who am I? What is my purpose? Did I exist before I was born? What will happen to me after I die?

When I matured further I began to wonder about things that are more down to earth: Why are there wars? Why do some people go hungry? Why are some weak and others strong? How do Presidents get elected?

As I write this, I am wondering about the workings of my own heart: Why does love hurt? Why do I build, knowing that one day it will be gone? What are the instincts that drive me? When is duty more important than feelings?

Alex Herrera, J. W.