kobe-ja/AsBillSeesIt · Datasets at Hugging Face

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be a full willingness, in all times and places, to find and to do
the will of God."
When I mediate upon such vision, I need not be dismayed
because I shall never attain it, nor need I swell with
presumption that one of these days its virtues shall be mine.
I only need to dwell on the vision itself, letting it grow and
ever more fill my heart. This done, I can compare it with my
last-taken personal inventory. Then I get a sane and healthy
idea of where I stand on the highway to humility. I see that
my journey toward God has scarce begun.
As I thus get down to my right size and stature, my selfconcern and importance become amusing.
GRAPEVINE, JUNE 1961
Two Kinds of Pride
The prideful righteousness of "good people" may often be
just as destructive as to dglaring sins of those who are
supposedly not so good.
We loved to shout to ddamaging fact toat millions of the
"good men of religion" wer dstillkilling one anoth er off in the
name of God. This all meant, of course, that we had
substituted negative for positive thinking.
After we came to A.A., we had to recognize that this trait had
been an ego-feeding proposition. In belaboring the sins of
some religious people, we could feel superior to all of them.
Moreover, we could avoid looking at some of our own
shortcomings.
Self-righteousness, the very thing that we had
contemptuously condemned in others, was our own
besetting evil. This phony form of respectability was our
undoing, so far as faith was concerned. But finally, driven to
A.A., we learned better.
Learn in Quiet
In 1941, a news clipping was called to our attention by a New
York member. In an obituary notice from a local paper, there
appeared these words: "God grant us the serenity to accept
the things we cannot change, the courage to change the
things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference."
Never had we seen so much A.A. in so few words. With
amazing speed the Serenity Prayer came into general use.
In meditation, debate has no place. We rest quietly with the
thoughts or prayers of spiritually centered people who
understand, so that we may experience and learn. This is the
state of being that so often discovers and deepens a
conscious contact with God.
Freedom Through Acceptance
We admitted we couldn't lick alcohol with our own remaining
resources, and so we accepted the further fact that
dependence upon a Higher Power (if only our A.A. group)
could do this hitherto impossible job. The moment we were
able to accept these facts fully, our release from the alcohol
compulsion had begun.
For most of us, this pair of acceptances had required a lot of
exertion to achieve. Our whole treasured philosophy of selfsufficiency had to be cast aside. This had not been done with
sheer will power; it came instead as the result of developing
the willingness to accept these new facts of living.
We neither ran nor fought. But accept we did. And then we
began to be free.
GRAPEVINE, MARCH 1962
Trouble: Constructive or Destructive?
"There was a time when we ignored trouble, hoping it would
go away. Or, in fear and in depression, we ran from it, but
found it was still with us. Often, full of unreason, bitterness,
and blame, we fought back. These mistaken attitudes,
powered by alcohol, guaranteed our destruction, unless they
were altered.
"Then came A.A. Here we learned that trouble was really a
fact of life for everybody -- a fact that had to be understood
and dealt with. Surprisingly, we found that our troubles
could, under God's grace, be converted into unimagined
blessings.
"Indeed, that was the essence of A.A. itself: trouble
accepted, trouble squarely faced with calm courage, trouble
lessened and often transcended. This was the A.A. story, and
we became a part of it. Such demonstration became our
stock in trade for the next sufferer."
Surveying the Past
We should make an accurate and really exhaustive surveyof
our past life as it has affected other people. In many
instances we shall find that, though the harm done to others
has not been great, we have nevertheless done ourselves
considerable injury.
Then, too, damaging emotional conflicts persist below the
level of consciouness, very deep, sometimes quite forgotten.
Therefore, we should try hard to recall and review those past
events which originally induced these conflicts and which
continue to give our emotions violent twists, thus discoloring
our personalities and altering our lives for the worse.
"We reacted more strongly to frustration than normal people.
By reliving these episodes and discussing them in strict
confidence with somebody else, we can reduce their size and
therfore their potency in the unconscious."
Complete Security?
Upon entering A.A., the spectacle of years of waste threw us
into panic. Financial importance was no longer our principal
aim; we now clamored for material secutity.
Even when we re-established in our business, terrible fears
often continued to haunt us. This made us misers and pennypinchers all over again. Complete financial security we must
have -- or else.
We forgot that most alcoholics in A.A. have an earning power
considerably above average; we forgot the immense good
will of our brother A.A.'s who were only too eager to help us

be a full willingness, in all times and places, to find and to do

the will of God."

When I mediate upon such vision, I need not be dismayed

because I shall never attain it, nor need I swell with

presumption that one of these days its virtues shall be mine.

I only need to dwell on the vision itself, letting it grow and

ever more fill my heart. This done, I can compare it with my

last-taken personal inventory. Then I get a sane and healthy

idea of where I stand on the highway to humility. I see that

my journey toward God has scarce begun.

As I thus get down to my right size and stature, my selfconcern and importance become amusing.

GRAPEVINE, JUNE 1961

Two Kinds of Pride

The prideful righteousness of "good people" may often be

just as destructive as to dglaring sins of those who are

supposedly not so good.

We loved to shout to ddamaging fact toat millions of the

"good men of religion" wer dstillkilling one anoth er off in the

name of God. This all meant, of course, that we had

substituted negative for positive thinking.

After we came to A.A., we had to recognize that this trait had

been an ego-feeding proposition. In belaboring the sins of

some religious people, we could feel superior to all of them.

Moreover, we could avoid looking at some of our own

shortcomings.

Self-righteousness, the very thing that we had

contemptuously condemned in others, was our own

besetting evil. This phony form of respectability was our

undoing, so far as faith was concerned. But finally, driven to

A.A., we learned better.

Learn in Quiet

In 1941, a news clipping was called to our attention by a New

York member. In an obituary notice from a local paper, there

appeared these words: "God grant us the serenity to accept

the things we cannot change, the courage to change the

things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

Never had we seen so much A.A. in so few words. With

amazing speed the Serenity Prayer came into general use.

In meditation, debate has no place. We rest quietly with the

thoughts or prayers of spiritually centered people who

understand, so that we may experience and learn. This is the

state of being that so often discovers and deepens a

conscious contact with God.

Freedom Through Acceptance

We admitted we couldn't lick alcohol with our own remaining

resources, and so we accepted the further fact that

dependence upon a Higher Power (if only our A.A. group)

could do this hitherto impossible job. The moment we were

able to accept these facts fully, our release from the alcohol

compulsion had begun.

For most of us, this pair of acceptances had required a lot of

exertion to achieve. Our whole treasured philosophy of selfsufficiency had to be cast aside. This had not been done with

sheer will power; it came instead as the result of developing

the willingness to accept these new facts of living.

We neither ran nor fought. But accept we did. And then we

began to be free.

GRAPEVINE, MARCH 1962

Trouble: Constructive or Destructive?

"There was a time when we ignored trouble, hoping it would

go away. Or, in fear and in depression, we ran from it, but

found it was still with us. Often, full of unreason, bitterness,

and blame, we fought back. These mistaken attitudes,

powered by alcohol, guaranteed our destruction, unless they

were altered.

"Then came A.A. Here we learned that trouble was really a

fact of life for everybody -- a fact that had to be understood

and dealt with. Surprisingly, we found that our troubles

could, under God's grace, be converted into unimagined

blessings.

"Indeed, that was the essence of A.A. itself: trouble

accepted, trouble squarely faced with calm courage, trouble

lessened and often transcended. This was the A.A. story, and

we became a part of it. Such demonstration became our

stock in trade for the next sufferer."

Surveying the Past

We should make an accurate and really exhaustive surveyof

our past life as it has affected other people. In many

instances we shall find that, though the harm done to others

has not been great, we have nevertheless done ourselves

considerable injury.

Then, too, damaging emotional conflicts persist below the

level of consciouness, very deep, sometimes quite forgotten.

Therefore, we should try hard to recall and review those past

events which originally induced these conflicts and which

continue to give our emotions violent twists, thus discoloring

our personalities and altering our lives for the worse.

"We reacted more strongly to frustration than normal people.

By reliving these episodes and discussing them in strict

confidence with somebody else, we can reduce their size and

therfore their potency in the unconscious."

Complete Security?

Upon entering A.A., the spectacle of years of waste threw us

into panic. Financial importance was no longer our principal

aim; we now clamored for material secutity.

Even when we re-established in our business, terrible fears

often continued to haunt us. This made us misers and pennypinchers all over again. Complete financial security we must

have -- or else.

We forgot that most alcoholics in A.A. have an earning power

considerably above average; we forgot the immense good

will of our brother A.A.'s who were only too eager to help us