November 19
The Same Person
At a meeting we speak warmly about surrender. An hour later, during group business, we are furious that people will not follow our plan. The change can be so quick that we hardly notice it. Recovery seems to belong to one part of the evening and responsibility to another, with different rules for each. We may even regard our impatience as proof of how seriously we take the work.
The Steps can come with us into that second room. So can the Traditions' concern for our common welfare and the Concepts' care for how responsibility is shared. We do not need to name all three while speaking. Their influence may be visible in our willingness to hear a concern, admit an oversight, or accept a decision we dislike. There is only one of us moving through the evening. The person carrying the message is also the person handling disagreement.
Where do I act as though a responsibility exempts me from the principles that help me stay sober?
The same willingness can enter both conversations.
For the A.A. nerds: Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Step Twelve; Twelve Concepts for World Service, Concept XII.