Daily Reprieve

From the Daily Reflections of November 29;

To us, however, it represents far more than a sound public relations policy. It is more than a denial of self-seeking. This Tradition is a constant and practical reminder that personal ambition has no place in A.A. In it, each member becomes an active guardian of our Fellowship.   (Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 183)

The basic concept of humility is expressed in the Eleventh Tradition: it allows me to participate completely in the program in such a simple, yet profound, manner; it fulfills my need to be an integral part of a significant whole. Humility brings me closer to the actual spirit of togetherness and oneness, without which I could not stay sober. In remembering that every member is an example of sobriety, each one living the Eleventh Tradition, I am able to experience freedom because each one of us is anonymous.

END OF QUOTE

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So there is another power for anonymity.  It makes me a part of the group, and thus a protector of it.

I heard three things in the meeting this morning;

“You are never too dumb for this program, but sometimes you can be too smart.”

“When you are reading the Big Book, don’t read the white parts, read the black.”

“Alcoholism is a disease that demands to be treated, either with alcohol or with meetings.”

These are protective words reinforcing humility and saving me from terminal uniqueness.  Anonymity is surprisingly powerful.

This entry was posted on January 14, 2015 at 9:31 am and is filed under Uncategorized with tags Addiction, Alcoholism, Journal, Life, Personal, Recovery, Spirituality. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.