October 7
When It Goes Wrong
A service decision turns out badly, and the room starts looking for the person who made it. Perhaps that person made a real mistake. Perhaps the rest of us were happy to leave them alone with too little information and too much work. Blame can become a way for everyone else to forget how the arrangement came about.
Final responsibility means the group remains involved even when the immediate decision belonged to someone else. We can examine what happened without dissolving individual accountability or concentrating all the shame on one volunteer. Did the responsibility have clear limits? Was support available? Were concerns raised while there was time to respond? Honest answers may show several places for repair. The person who made the decision can own their part more freely in a group that is willing to look at its own. Shared work includes shared learning when the outcome disappoints us.
What part of a disappointing outcome belongs to the arrangement we all accepted?
Our part in the arrangement also deserves attention.
For the A.A. nerds: Twelve Concepts for World Service, Concepts I and II.