And so this may get controversial but then what isn't these days what with ALL the talk shows especially the 24 hour ones like CNN, Fox and MSNBC.
Allow me to start UP here and work my way down AND my fellow members will probably chuckle at the prospect "why should I climb a mountain, just drop me off at the top thank you very much." On the other hand that is exactly what makes us unique, yes I said
"we are unique" IN THE way we look at life that is.
More OFTEN than not WE could tell you what a thing ISN'T better than what a thing IS.
My experience and yours as well may be that OUR fellowship has had its importance diminshed over the years. The fact is that the principles which we follow that have saved millions of lives, these principles got buried under a mound of personalities. These personalities TWIST the very foundation of the program - HUMILITY into a carnivorous diet of " right looks like wrong and wrong looks like right."
They trap, kill and digest the very good in MOST of us. They SUCK the spirituality out of the rest of us. Of course, what comes out the other side of them is shit!
You can tell who they are because they plain out right STINK.
ANYWAY.
"No member can be set in personal authority over another, there is no central government and only a SET of traditional principles which WE follow." (12 & 12 page 16). AND it is in these principles that we find the power to exhist and co-exhist with the world. It is in these principles that we discover a proper way to act and re-act. And it is in these principles, that MOST of us, find God - a God of our own understanding.
I sent out an email months ago talking about "the herd instinct " which is mentioned in the appendix of the Big Book. There are A FEW folks in our Society who adhere to this herd instinct principle which I DISCLAIM with ab·hor·rence in the name of BIG ego's and CONTROL FREAKS. No-one needs be holding another member hostage hiding behind the mask of principles before personalities.
Here is that email;
Dr. Foster Kennedy, neurologist: "This organization of Alcoholics Anonymous calls
Allow me to start UP here and work my way down AND my fellow members will probably chuckle at the prospect "why should I climb a mountain, just drop me off at the top thank you very much." On the other hand that is exactly what makes us unique, yes I said
"we are unique" IN THE way we look at life that is.
More OFTEN than not WE could tell you what a thing ISN'T better than what a thing IS.
My experience and yours as well may be that OUR fellowship has had its importance diminshed over the years. The fact is that the principles which we follow that have saved millions of lives, these principles got buried under a mound of personalities. These personalities TWIST the very foundation of the program - HUMILITY into a carnivorous diet of " right looks like wrong and wrong looks like right."
They trap, kill and digest the very good in MOST of us. They SUCK the spirituality out of the rest of us. Of course, what comes out the other side of them is shit!
You can tell who they are because they plain out right STINK.
ANYWAY.
"No member can be set in personal authority over another, there is no central government and only a SET of traditional principles which WE follow." (12 & 12 page 16). AND it is in these principles that we find the power to exhist and co-exhist with the world. It is in these principles that we discover a proper way to act and re-act. And it is in these principles, that MOST of us, find God - a God of our own understanding.
I sent out an email months ago talking about "the herd instinct " which is mentioned in the appendix of the Big Book. There are A FEW folks in our Society who adhere to this herd instinct principle which I DISCLAIM with ab·hor·rence in the name of BIG ego's and CONTROL FREAKS. No-one needs be holding another member hostage hiding behind the mask of principles before personalities.
Here is that email;
Dr. Foster Kennedy, neurologist: "This organization of Alcoholics Anonymous calls
on two of the greatest reservoirs of power known to man, religion and that instinct
for association with one's fellows . . . . . . . . the 'herd instinct.' " Big Book page 569
What Does Herd Instinct Mean?
A mentality characterized by a lack of individuality, causing people to think and act like the general population.
Speaking for myself, John B. that is, I'm not so sure I can relate to this statement AND its meaning. I am an individual and I'm not going to think and act like folks who aren't, especially thinking and acting spiritual!
( 1950 Letter from Bill W.)
Page 55 "As Bill Sees It"
"Man is supposed to think and act. He wasn't made in God's image to be an automaton."
1. So what does automaton mean? -
Meaning of automaton (noun) forms:
We may certainly answer this question with a loud "No!" (end quote)
SO - what happens when things get out of control? So far- nothing.
It should be a concern to ALL members that WE are destroying ourselves from within AND to stop acting like nothing is happening. On the one hand IT IS NOT the end of the world. On the other hand it could mean the end of a person's life.
No one is an elder anymore either, it's all about quantity instead of quality and I will be the first to tell you there are folks with "quantity" (time) in A.A. that I have little or no respect for. They do more harm than good AND hide behind "principles before personalities" when confronted about their behavior.
One of Bill Wilsons last remarks concerning the future of our Society was about EMOTIONAL SOBRIETY. The next frontier he called it. (research the topic A.A. -Emotional Sobriety The Next Frontier).
I feel we need an EMOTIONAL SOBRIETY check. YOU can't deny that beneath the breath of every word spoken by SPIRITUAL OLDSTERS there is an unhappy tune about the concsiousness of our fellowship. It's been watered down. It's been hijacked. It's been molested.
OUR SOCIETY is the correct term not I'm in a program!
Society meetings are a correct description not nooner.
Members of our fellowship is correct not that drunk there.
And principles before MY personality is the GOLDEN RULE.
Any living being whose actions are or appear to be involuntary or mechanical.
(google)
2. How would what I as a member of A.A. think differ from Dr. Kennedy's description of the A.A. member as 'part of the herd?' First I'm not a robot and second my actions aren't always involuntary.
3. Continuing on page 55 of "as Bill Sees It" he writes and I agree:
" My own formula along this line runs as follows: First, think through every situation pro and con,
(so much for you folks who say it's bad for me to think) ,
praying, meanwhile that I be not influenced by ego considerations. Affirm that I would like to do God's will.
(not what's best for me or what "I" think is right)
"Then having turned the problem over in this fashion
(so much for those who say you must run EVERYTHING by your sponsor)
and getting no conclusive or compelling answer, I wait for further guidance, which may come into the mind directly
(oh boy, you told me my mind is a bad neighborhood)
or through other people or circumstances.
"If I feel I can't wait, and still get no definite indication, I repeat the first measure several times, try to pick out the best course
(oops, he said the best course not the right course)
and then proceed to act.
I know if I'm wrong, the heavens won't fail. A lesson learned in any case." (end)
Please note; all comments in parenthesis are my own and not in the letter. It is my attempt at humor to contradict the many "acronyms" heard in the rooms.
So, in 1950 there was a departure, By founder Bill Wilson AWAY from Dr. Kennedy's herd instinct proposal from 1939.
As well, to note, Tradition One first published in 1946:
From the Twelve and Twelve, page 129-
"Does this mean, " some will anxiously ask, "that in A.A. the individual doesn't count for much? Is he to be dominated by his group and swallowed up in it?"
We may certainly answer this question with a loud "No!" (end quote)
Finally, I don't take everything literally and I don't always march "with the band." That is no reason, however to disdain me or have contempt against my reasoning. Things change and we change, we change and grow- most of us AND as we change and grow we come to realize that everything is NOT always what it seems. An example is detailed above. 'herd instinct' versus man was not created to be an automaton.
Perhaps the founders realized there were folks who abused the 'herd instinct' and became controlling of indiviuals and then had their feelings hurt when their demands were rejected. Also, I will be watchful for the 'herd instinct' mentality as I read the Big Book in the future as I must respect each members individualty AND not only that- it's important that I come to understand, rerspect and appreciate that everyone grows spiritually differently and some folks who are troubled by emotional and mental disorders may only comprehend a little if any principles at all.
Who knows, but another thing I believe is Doctor Kennedy had good intentions but not foresight.
SO - what happens when things get out of control? So far- nothing.
It should be a concern to ALL members that WE are destroying ourselves from within AND to stop acting like nothing is happening. On the one hand IT IS NOT the end of the world. On the other hand it could mean the end of a person's life.
I addressed in another email that WE should not be "organized" and this organization is against Traditions and causing more harm than good. I backed up my concern with correspondence from GSO to other members who previously inquired about the ORGANIZATION dilemma.
INSTEAD OF LETTING THE CHIPS FALL WHERE THEY MAY- MANY FOLKS ARE CONTENT WITH controlling WHEN AND HOW THE CHIPS ARE DEALT. God forbid if WE had to deal with a mistake or business unusual HOWEVER people want to control the fellowship. You see this in the many PETTY rules and regulations read at the beginning of our meetings. These rules and regulations are usually things that ANNOY a particular person who then gets to a business meeting and has them adopted into the format. I've seen them change from regime to regime.
I also addressed in an email that the founders DID ALLOW CROSS TALK at meetings ( based on facts) . Case in point in Tradition Two of the Twelve and Twelve when Bill W. brought up his idea to turn professional. NOT being so organized then, topics could be discussed, such as "control freaks" and problems and issues settled, or at least addressed. AND I found from my experience as well that even IF ONLY a situation is " raised " before OTHERS this is enough to quell the momentum of the force behind it. Then let it go.
No one is an elder anymore either, it's all about quantity instead of quality and I will be the first to tell you there are folks with "quantity" (time) in A.A. that I have little or no respect for. They do more harm than good AND hide behind "principles before personalities" when confronted about their behavior.
One of Bill Wilsons last remarks concerning the future of our Society was about EMOTIONAL SOBRIETY. The next frontier he called it. (research the topic A.A. -Emotional Sobriety The Next Frontier).
I feel we need an EMOTIONAL SOBRIETY check. YOU can't deny that beneath the breath of every word spoken by SPIRITUAL OLDSTERS there is an unhappy tune about the concsiousness of our fellowship. It's been watered down. It's been hijacked. It's been molested.
OUR SOCIETY is the correct term not I'm in a program!
Society meetings are a correct description not nooner.
Members of our fellowship is correct not that drunk there.
And principles before MY personality is the GOLDEN RULE.
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