Endigar 367 ~ Our Group Conscience
From Today’s Daily Reflections;
“. . . sometimes the good is the enemy of the best.” (Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, page 101)
I think these words apply to every area of A.A.’s Three Legacies: Recovery, Unity, and Service! I want them etched in my mind and life as I “trudge the Road of Happy Destiny” (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 164). These words, often spoken by co-founder Bill W., were appropriately said to him as the result of the group’s conscience. It brought home to Bill W. the essence of our Second Tradition: “Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.”
Just as Bill W. was originally urged to remember, I think that in our group discussions we should never settle for the “good,” but always strive to attain the “best.” These common strivings are yet another example of a loving God, as we understand Him, expressing Himself through the group conscience. Experiences such as these help me to stay on the proper path of recovery. I learn to combine initiative with humility, responsibility with thankfulness, and thus relish the joys of living my twenty-four hour program.
END OF QUOTE
——————————————————-
The human mind and heart can detect the good. Sometimes we discover the better, but can anyone really see the best? This sounds to me like another form of perfectionism. In keeping with the spirit of seeking progress rather than perfection, I reword the quote to say that sometimes the good solution perceived by the solitary mind is the enemy of the better solution revealed in the group conscience. The best solution is something I suspect is visible only to the Infinite One, and often comes to me disguised as the better solution of the group conscience. Is that because the best solution is wrapped up in being able to connect with each other and God?
Daily Reprieve 
Leave a Reply