The year is 2025, and by now the world should be free of cruel circumstances, or brutal human actions that lead to the existence of orphans. Sadly these tragedies still happen. So while we work to build a better world where so many orphans are not created, let’s give earnest thought to one of our Order’s commands — to educate the orphan.
Doing the most good with our charge to educate the orphan, is a matter of imagining how broadly that command can apply. Have you considered that not all orphans are children whose parents have died? A person can be orphaned in essence, if during their journey of growth, they are separated from the experienced, protective guides who would have given them a sense of safety, direction, and community. So how can we educate not just orphans in the traditional sense, but orphans of that broader kind?
The answer is, it depends on the need. I’m sure we’d like to acknowledge that there are staples in our “lesson plan” like the world mending practices of service, trust-building, reliability, loving your neighbor as yourself, and doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Beyond that though, positive lessons to the orphan can be as diverse and as nuanced as the members of our collective. An exciting thing about the Odd Fellows community is that all of our individual knowledge, skills and abilities are at the disposal of the group, and anyone else we extend our hand to in service. If the goal of education is to nurture growth by sharing, then educating the orphan could mean anything from sharing knowledge of a skill or trade, to teaching through action that there are still people in the world dedicated to caring, and making a difference.
In my particular lodge we have historians, public speakers, authors, actors, and dancers. We have contractors, crisis counselors, healthcare professionals, and martial artists. Most importantly, we have people with lived experience navigating life’s challenges while striving for balance. It takes a village. Every member has something to contribute as a teacher; all have something to offer that nurtures growth through the sharing of knowledge.
What wonderful and varied experiences could your lodge bring to the task of educating the orphan?
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