kobe-ja/AsBillSeesIt · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 4 128
as we are brothers in our defects, and in our common
strivings to overcome them."
Accepting God's Gifts
"Though many theologians hold the sudden spiritual
experiences amount to a special distinction, if not a divine
appointment of some sort, I question this view. Every human
being, no matter what his attributes for good or evil, is a part
of the divine spiritual economy. Therefore, each of us has his
place, and I cannot see that God intends to exalt one over
another.
"So it is necessary for all of us to accept whatever positive
gifts we receive with a deep humility, always bearing in mind
that our negative attitudes were first necessary as a means
of reducing us to such a state that we would be ready for a
gift of the positive ones via the conversion experience. Your
own alcoholism and the immense deflation that finally
resulted are indeed the foundationupon which your spiritual
experiences rests."
Learning Never Ends
"My experience as an oldtimer has to some degree paralleled
your own and that of many others. We all find that the time
comes when we are not allowed to manage and conduct the
functional affairs of groups, areas, or, in my case, A.A. as a
whole. In the end we can only be worth as much as our
spiritual example has justified. To that extent, we become
useful symbols -- and that's just about it."
"I have become a pupil of the A.A. movement rather than the
teacher I once thought I was."
Whose Will?
We have seen A.A.'s ask with much earnestness and faith for
God's explicit guidance on matters ranging all the wayfrom a
shattering domestic or financial crisis to a minor personal
fault, like tardiness. A man who tries to run his life rigidly by
this kind of prayer, by this self-serving demand of God for
replies, is a particularly disconcerting individual. To any
questioning or criticism of his actions, he instantly proffers
his reliance upon prayer for guidance in all matters great or
small.
He may have forgotten the possibility that his own wishful
thinking and the human tendency to rationalize have
distorted his so-called guidance. With the best of intentions,
he tends to force his will into all sorts of situations and
problems with the comfortable assurance that he is acting
under God's specific direction.
TWELVE AND TWELVE, PP. 103-104
Dividends and Mysteries
"The A.A. preoccupation with sobriety is sometimes
misunderstood. To some, this single virtue appears to be the
sole dividend of our Fellowship. We are thought to be driedup drunks who otherwise have changed little, or not at all, for
the better. Such a surmise widely misses the truth. We know
that permanent sobriety can be attained only by a most
revolutionary change in the life and outlook of the individual
-- by a spiritual awakening that can banish the desire to
drink."
"You are asking yourself, as all of us must: `Who am I?' ...
`Where am I?' ... `Whence do I go?' The process of
enlightenment is usually slow. But, in the end, our seeking
always brings a finding. These great mysteries are, after all,
enshrined in complete simplicity. The willingness to grow is
the essence of all spiritual development."
This Matter of Honesty
"Only God can fully know what absolute honesty is.
Therefore, each of us has to conceive what this great ideal
may be -- to the best of our ability.
"Fallible as we all are, and will be in this life, it would be
presumption to suppose that we could ever really achieve
absolute honesty. The best way we can do is to strive for a
better quality of honesty.
"Sometimes we need to place love ahead of indiscriminate
`factual honesty'. We cannot, under the guise of `perfect
honesty', cruelly and unnecessarily hurt others. Always one
must ask, `What is the best and most loving thing I can do?'"
Roots of Reality
We started upon a personal inventory, Step Four. A business
which takes no regular inventory usually goes broke. Taking
a commercial inventory is a fact-finding and a fact-facing
process. It is an effort to discover the truth about the stock in
trade. One object is to disclose damaged or unsalable goods,
to get rid of them promptly and without regret. If the owner of
the business is to be successful, he cannot fool himself
about values.
We did exactly the same thing with our lives. We had to take
stock honestly.
"Moments of perception can build into a lifetime of spiritual
serenity, as I have excellent reason to know. Roots of reality,
supplanting the neurotic underbrush, will hold fast despite
the high winds of the forces which would destroy us, or
which we would use to destroy ourselevs.
Constructive Forces
Mine was exactly the kind of deep-seated block we so often
see today in new people who say they are atheistic or
agnostic. Their will to disbelieve is so powerful tha
apparently they prefer a date with the undertaker to an openminded and experimental quest for God.
Happily for me, and for most of my kind who have since
come along in A.A., the constructive forces brought to bear
in our Fellowship have nearly always overcome this colossal
obstinacy. Beaten into complete defeat by alcohol,
confronted by the living proof of release, and surrounded by
those who can speak to us from the heart, we have finally
surrendered.

as we are brothers in our defects, and in our common

strivings to overcome them."

Accepting God's Gifts

"Though many theologians hold the sudden spiritual

experiences amount to a special distinction, if not a divine

appointment of some sort, I question this view. Every human

being, no matter what his attributes for good or evil, is a part

of the divine spiritual economy. Therefore, each of us has his

place, and I cannot see that God intends to exalt one over

another.

"So it is necessary for all of us to accept whatever positive

gifts we receive with a deep humility, always bearing in mind

that our negative attitudes were first necessary as a means

of reducing us to such a state that we would be ready for a

gift of the positive ones via the conversion experience. Your

own alcoholism and the immense deflation that finally

resulted are indeed the foundationupon which your spiritual

experiences rests."

Learning Never Ends

"My experience as an oldtimer has to some degree paralleled

your own and that of many others. We all find that the time

comes when we are not allowed to manage and conduct the

functional affairs of groups, areas, or, in my case, A.A. as a

whole. In the end we can only be worth as much as our

spiritual example has justified. To that extent, we become

useful symbols -- and that's just about it."

"I have become a pupil of the A.A. movement rather than the

teacher I once thought I was."

Whose Will?

We have seen A.A.'s ask with much earnestness and faith for

God's explicit guidance on matters ranging all the wayfrom a

shattering domestic or financial crisis to a minor personal

fault, like tardiness. A man who tries to run his life rigidly by

this kind of prayer, by this self-serving demand of God for

replies, is a particularly disconcerting individual. To any

questioning or criticism of his actions, he instantly proffers

his reliance upon prayer for guidance in all matters great or

small.

He may have forgotten the possibility that his own wishful

thinking and the human tendency to rationalize have

distorted his so-called guidance. With the best of intentions,

he tends to force his will into all sorts of situations and

problems with the comfortable assurance that he is acting

under God's specific direction.

TWELVE AND TWELVE, PP. 103-104

Dividends and Mysteries

"The A.A. preoccupation with sobriety is sometimes

misunderstood. To some, this single virtue appears to be the

sole dividend of our Fellowship. We are thought to be driedup drunks who otherwise have changed little, or not at all, for

the better. Such a surmise widely misses the truth. We know

that permanent sobriety can be attained only by a most

revolutionary change in the life and outlook of the individual

-- by a spiritual awakening that can banish the desire to

drink."

"You are asking yourself, as all of us must: `Who am I?' ...

`Where am I?' ... `Whence do I go?' The process of

enlightenment is usually slow. But, in the end, our seeking

always brings a finding. These great mysteries are, after all,

enshrined in complete simplicity. The willingness to grow is

the essence of all spiritual development."

This Matter of Honesty

"Only God can fully know what absolute honesty is.

Therefore, each of us has to conceive what this great ideal

may be -- to the best of our ability.

"Fallible as we all are, and will be in this life, it would be

presumption to suppose that we could ever really achieve

absolute honesty. The best way we can do is to strive for a

better quality of honesty.

"Sometimes we need to place love ahead of indiscriminate

`factual honesty'. We cannot, under the guise of `perfect

honesty', cruelly and unnecessarily hurt others. Always one

must ask, `What is the best and most loving thing I can do?'"

Roots of Reality

We started upon a personal inventory, Step Four. A business

which takes no regular inventory usually goes broke. Taking

a commercial inventory is a fact-finding and a fact-facing

process. It is an effort to discover the truth about the stock in

trade. One object is to disclose damaged or unsalable goods,

to get rid of them promptly and without regret. If the owner of

the business is to be successful, he cannot fool himself

about values.

We did exactly the same thing with our lives. We had to take

stock honestly.

"Moments of perception can build into a lifetime of spiritual

serenity, as I have excellent reason to know. Roots of reality,

supplanting the neurotic underbrush, will hold fast despite

the high winds of the forces which would destroy us, or

which we would use to destroy ourselevs.

Constructive Forces

Mine was exactly the kind of deep-seated block we so often

see today in new people who say they are atheistic or

agnostic. Their will to disbelieve is so powerful tha

apparently they prefer a date with the undertaker to an openminded and experimental quest for God.

Happily for me, and for most of my kind who have since

come along in A.A., the constructive forces brought to bear

in our Fellowship have nearly always overcome this colossal

obstinacy. Beaten into complete defeat by alcohol,

confronted by the living proof of release, and surrounded by

those who can speak to us from the heart, we have finally

surrendered.