Discretion

An important part of being a Mason is keeping one's mouth shut.

Masons are not the only group of people who need to keep confidences: priests, physicians, lawyers are among a few of the professionals who are legally required to keep a secret. In my profession (software consultant) , I am always under Nondisclosure. Nondisclosure means that I can't share information I learn about my customer with people who are not part of the same agreement.

The contents -- sometimes even the existence -- of a Nondisclosure Agreement is part of the agreement; in other words, I would agree not to tell anyone what is covered by the agreement along with everything else.

Adults understand this. When I say, "I can't go into the details, but I've done that at a different customer", the potential customer understands that I must be discreet and can't give them details about another customer, and is reassured that I am not going to share their trade secrets either. It doesn't mean that they are bad people, or that I respect them any less.

In fact, I can't share trade secrets from my customers with my family or my Masonic brethren. Again, it doesn't mean that my family and Masonic brethren are bad people, or that I respect them any less.

Some have said that observing privacy agreements makes the people who are not covered by the agreement "second class brothers". As if everyone I call "brother" has a right to know everything I know. If you're not covered by the same NDA as I am, then, quite literally, it's none of your business.

The process of becoming a Mason involves agreeing to a nondisclosure agreement, the contents of which are covered by the agreement. We call this NDA our obligation. This obligation hasn't changed much over the years, and it's mostly the same from Grand Lodge to Grand Lodge, and the promises it contains are what make us Masons.

Keeping details about our fraternity private does not make those outside the fraternity, like our families and spouses, any less important to us; just as keeping details about our clients private does not mean our masonic brethren who are not privy to this information are any less our brothers.

Remember: A Gentleman never tells.

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Note: the graphics above can be found at this terrific masonic resource.