Of True Brotherhood We Had Small Comprehension

I’m going to quote this entry directly from page 53 of “Twelve Steps And Twelve Traditions.”

Without being direct, trying to avoid being confrontational and, having had similar experiences, I have a motivation, an agenda for quoting this particular writing. My feelings were influenced this morning by a comment made during the evening that I don’t understand at this moment. I don’t understand why someone has a need to use words like “terrifies” in response to something I wrote. I don’t understand why someone has a need to apparently accuse me of conducting a lifelong investigation into their life when I’ve never met or spoken or communicated with this person in any way, shape, or form.

One additional principle – for newcomers/beginners to recovery. We are FREE today! Within reasonable, mature boundaries we can be ourselves and say what we think, in respectful ways. The guilt of our shameful actions is no longer. We don’t have to immediately react without any thought process. We can sit back, think it through and respond appropriately (perhaps).

A sub-title for this post could be “Those that judge don’t matter, those that matter don’t judge.”

From the book;

“But it is from our twisted relations with family, friends, and society at large that many of us have suffered the most. We have been especially stupid and stubborn about them. The primary fact that we fail to recognize is our total inability to form a true partnership with another human being. Our egomania digs two disastrous pitfalls. Either we insist upon dominating the people we know, or we depend upon them far too much. If we lean too heavily on people, they will sooner or later fail us, for they are human, too, and cannot possibly meet our incessant demands. In this way our insecurity grows and festers. When we habitually try to manipulate others to our own willful desires, they revolt, and resist us heavily. Then we develop hurt feelings, a sense of persecution, and a desire to retaliate. As we redouble our efforts at control, and continue to fail, our suffering becomes acute and constant. We have not once sought to be one in a family, to be a friend among friends, to be a worker among workers, to be a useful member of society. Always we tried to struggle to the top of the heap, or to hide underneath it. This self-centered behavior blocked a partnership relation with any one of those about us. Of true brotherhood we had small comprehension.

I believe the answers are in the books. And, yes, my sponsor talked with me at length about this also

A Sober, Clean Day To All,

Mark