Garden Variety of Ills

Bill W. spoke through his Grapevine writings in August, 1945. This is just one of many things he said* that I find interesting;

“Personal glorification, overweening pride, consuming ambition, exhibitionism, intolerant smugness, money or power madness, refusal to admit mistakes and learn from them, self-satisfaction, lazy complacency – these and many more are the garden variety of ills which so often beset movements as well as individuals.

While we AA’s, as individuals, have suffered much from just such defects, and must daily admit and deal with them in our personal lives if we are to stay sober and useful, it is nevertheless true that such attitudes have seldom crept into our public relations. But someday they might. Let us never say, ‘It can’t happen here.’”

The Traditions were being formed and, for me, that is quite a list of garden variety ills, character defects, shortcomings or sins.

[*The Language of the Heart, page 4]