November 23
What Becomes Normal
An experienced member admits a mistake without much fuss. A newcomer watches. There may be no discussion of spiritual principles, no one calling attention to a lesson. Yet something has been learned about what is possible here. The same is true when an experienced member humiliates someone and everybody laughs. Our ordinary behavior helps establish what the next person will consider normal.
A legacy can be passed along before we have thought about leaving one. It lives in the liberties people see us grant one another and in the things we quietly excuse. This need not make us solemn or afraid to be human. A sincere correction can teach as much as getting things right. We are allowed to discover that our example has consequences without becoming responsible for every choice another member makes. The small culture around us is partly shaped by how we live in it.
What might someone learn about A.A. by watching how I handle an ordinary mistake?
An honest correction is part of what we pass on.
For the A.A. nerds: Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Step Ten; Twelve Concepts for World Service, Concept XII, Warranty One.