Lodge Prudentia is a participatory democracy with the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity.
Our members are people who believe that life not founded on honor is hollow and empty. We are involved with the problems and needs of others because we know it gives each of us a good feeling -- unlike any other -- to help.
Much of our help is given anonymously. We're not after gratitude, we're more than rewarded by that feeling which comes from knowing we have helped another person overcome some adversity, so that their life can go on.
Our policy is mutual help. Not just financial help but help in the sense of being there when needed, giving support, lending a sympathetic ear.
The lodge aims at self-development of its members, building their lives and character, just as a carpenter works a building a house.
Our lodge is a sort of bond that holds men together -- a private friendship that tells us we owe it to each other to be just in our dealings and to refuse to speak evil of each other.
Historical Background
The concept of cardinal virtues was not the invention of freemasons or Christians. It was invented by ancient Greek philosophers. Plato assigned them to different classes of people: Temperance to the producing class, Fortitude to the soldier class; Prudence to the ruling class. Justice is outside the class system and rules the relationship and harmony between the three. Plato considered "prudence" to be the chief virtue and called it sophia (‘wisdom’). Aristotle made two changes. First, he made "prudence" apply to all and this removed the elitism of Plato’s association of prudence with the ruling class. Second, he made "prudence" practical rather than speculative, and called it phronesis (‘practical wisdom’) to stress that wisdom is speculative while prudence is practical and consists of combining wisdom with reason in day-to-day affairs. His definition of prudence was recta ratio agibilium (‘right reason applied to practice’) and qualified it as auriga virtutum (‘charioteer of virtues’).
The Romans, represented by Cicero, followed the Grecian line: “Each man should so conduct himself that fortitude appears in labors and dangers; temperance in forgoing pleasures; prudence in choice between good and evil; and justice in giving every man his own.”
Christianity adopted these four cardinal virtues from Grecian culture and added three more ‘theological virtues’ (or heavenly graces), which are Faith, Hope and Love. The last was wrongly translated as Charity in King James Version of the Bible. Early Christian theologians like St Ambrose and St Augustine considered the four cardinal virtues natural to man because they can be achieved through human effort. However, theological virtues were considered supernatural because they can be conferred only by God and through Baptism.
Meaning of Prudence
Prudence is the application of wisdom and reason for decision-making in every situation after considering the consequences of action. In a word, it is ‘discernment’.
St Thomas Aquinas listed three components in prudence: memoria (‘memory’), docilitas (‘docility’) and solertia. Memory of past experiences is essential for discerning the consequences of actions and helps us not to repeat the mistakes. Docility is seeking with open mind the counsel of those who are more experienced. It is not bovine passivity but the capacity to be attentive and alert. Solertia is translated in English as clear-sightedness or clarity but its correct meaning is readiness for the unexpected. You cannot manage all uncertainties by considering the past experience and taking the present counsel of the experienced. You must consider the imponderables of the future, too. We may say that the memory, docility and solertia correspond, respectively, to the three-fold nature of time, namely, past, present and future. Let us examine the other features of prudence.
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Prudence is connatural
Prudence, strangely, is easier to perform than account for, unlike other cardinal virtues. Prudence cannot be imparted to others easily. Nor can a prudent man satisfactorily explain how he practices it. He just does it as a matter of habit. As we grow up and become experienced, we understand many things without being instructed. Such knowledge is called connatural knowledge.
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Prudence v Wisdom
A man may be wise but not necessarily prudent because of lack of experience. For example, the fresh graduate of automobile engineering may be wiser than an old mechanic but he cannot repair the automobile as efficiently as the latter.
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Prudence v Tolerance
Prudence is not tolerance. Consider the protagonist in Evelyn Waugh’s short story, Too Much Tolerance, who considers everyone a “jolly good fellow”. One of his friends runs away with his wife, and another steals his inherited fortune. The protagonist is good but cannot discern good from bad: he is not prudent. Too little tolerance is bigotry and too much tolerance is lack of prudence.
FOUNDING OFFICERS
WORSHIPFUL MASTER
Bro. D. Srinivasan
IMMEDIATE PAST MASTER
R. W. Bro. M.V.Raghunathan
SENIOR WARDEN
Bro. M. Vythianathan
JUNIOR WARDEN
Bro. Ashok Gopalan
CHAPLAIN
Bro. K.Chandrasekar
TREASURER
W. Bro. BS.Jothiraman
SECRETARY
Bro. S.Vinoth Kumar
D. O. C.
W. Bro. N.Surianarayanamurthy
SENIOR DEACON
Bro. T. R. Gowthaman
JUNIOR DEACON
Bro. Y. Aravind Gosh
BEARER OF V.S.L.
W. Bro. R. Balachander
W. Bro. Manisunder Gopal
Bro. M. L. Ramesh
Bro L. S. M. Hasan Faizal
Bro. W. T. S. David
SWORD BEARER
W. Bro. Ramesh Venkatachalapathy
ASST. SECRETARY
W. Bro. Ramesh Chari
ASST. D.O. C
W. Bro. Ramchand N. Chabria
ALMONER
W. Bro. R. Diwaker
ORGANIST
Bro. J. Surendran
INNER GUARD
Bro. M. S. K. Balaji
STEWARD
W. Bro. A. Sethupathy
Bro. A. Krishnakumar
Bro. M. Rajendran
Bro. D. Shankar
Bro. R. Rajendran
TYLER
W. Bro. M. Govindaraj
That each man has a duty not only to himself but also to others.
That a man should maintain an attitude of good will, and promote unity and harmony is his relations with others, his family, and his community.
That we must do what we can to make the world a better place because we have passed through it.
That a country is strong as long as freedom, equality, and the opportunity for human development is afforded to all.
That we must support the laws and authority of our country when both are just and equitably applied.
That we must uphold and maintain the principles of good government, and oppose every influence that would divide it in a degrading manner.
That that we should have reverence for living things, a tenderness toward people who suffer, a loving kindness for our fellow man, and a desire to do right because it is right.
That although all men are fallible and capable of much wrong, when they discover the goodness of heart, they have found the true essence of virtue.
FOUNDER MEMBERS
W. Bro. A C Reddi
W. Bro. K. Giridharan
W. Bro. P. Jayagopal
Bro. V. Unnikrishnan
Bro. Dr. Thirugnanam Kaliyamurthy
Bro. N. M. Sunttosh
Bro. P. Srinivas
Bro. K. Rajashekar
Bro. A. Selvendran
Bro. Subramianian Yeshwanth
Bro. Prof. Dr. U. Gautamadoss
Bro. W. S. Jayaprakash
Bro. Yuvaraj Shekar
Bro. Dr. B. Loganathan
Bro. S. V. Renga Parthasarathy
Bro. G. K. Hariharan
Bro. D.r V.P.R. Varadarajan
Bro. T. K. Jiji
Bro. C.P. Narayanan
W. Bro. Vijayshankar Duvvuru
Bro. V. T. Narendran
Bro. Sathish Perumal
Bro. R. S. Ramesh
Bro. S. K. Chandrakumar