Believe
that it has been heard, many times, a quote from the 12 and 12 that
states, "Unity is the most precious quality that our fellowship
has."
Now
let us quote, from page seventeen, from the bigbook:
We
are average Americans. All sections of this country and many of its
occupations are represented, as well as many political, economic,
social, and religious backgrounds. We are people who normally would not
mix. But there exists among us a fellowship, a friendliness, and an
understanding which is indescribably wonderful. We are like the
passengers of a great liner the moment after rescue from shipwreck when
camaraderie, joyousness and democracy pervade the vessel from steerage
to Captain's table. Unlike the feelings of the ship's passengers,
however, our joy in escape from disaster does not subside as we go our
individual ways. The feeling of having shared in a common peril is one
element in the powerful cement which binds us. But that in itself would
never have held us together as we are now joined.
The tremendous fact for every one of us is that
we have discovered a common solution. We have a way out on which we
can absolutely agree, and upon which we can join in brotherly and
harmonious action. This is the great news this book carries to those
who suffer from alcoholism.
For
close to a decade, was a member of a group that had twenty plus meetings a
week that were closed meetings for alcoholics only, but the Saturday night
meeting was an open meeting. Hardly a week passed that someone, from
out of town, was asked to leave the meeting. Some weeks, a few were
asked to leave, because they were not alcoholics.
This was in one of the world's largest resort communities, and we had
visitors from all over the globe, and from all fellowships.
A
year and six months later these three had succeeded with seven more.
Seeing much of each other, scarce an evening passed that someone's home
did not shelter a little gathering of men and women, happy in their
release, and constantly thinking how they might present their discovery
to some newcomer. In addition to these casual get-togethers, it became
customary to set apart one night a week for a meeting to be attended
by anyone or everyone interested in a spiritual way of life. Aside
from fellowship and sociability, the prime object was to provide a time
and place where new people might bring their problems. (bigbook
pg 159)
Since
there are so many anonymous fellowships, in today's world, let us state
that the fellowship, in spirit, has never changed. But now, there is
a society around all of the anonymous fellowships, and sometimes, the
intentions of some of the attendees is less than honorable, even though
they may not even be aware of that fact.
And
even though the intentions may be perfect, most do not understand the
following concept, which is a quote from page fifty-three, in the bigbook:
When
we became alcoholics, crushed by a self-imposed crisis we could not
postpone or evade, we had to fearlessly face the proposition that either
God is everything or else He is nothing. God either is, or He isn't.
What was our choice to be?
From
personal experience, can truthfully state that when we reach a point of
being in the beginning of a self-imposed crisis, that we are absolutely
crushed in and powerless over, we do not have a clue about the power of
this illness. That is why the 12 and 12 states that we have to build
personal powerlessness down to bedrock, so that the faith that is going to be
created is unshakable.
The
mention of being "drowning men" lets us know that if we are not
drowning, we do not have a proper perspective of what the illness is, nor
how desperate some are, to recover, since they have survived the
self-imposed crisis. And have heard hundreds of times, probably
thousands, "I am getting better." From page thirty, in the
bigbook, we find the following quote:
We
alcoholics are men and women who have lost the ability to control our
drinking. We know that no real alcoholic ever recovers control.
All of us felt at times that we were regaining control, but such
intervals - usually brief - were inevitably followed by still less
control, which led in time to pitiful and incomprehensible
demoralization. We are convinced to a man that alcoholics of our type
are in the grip of a progressive illness. Over any considerable period
we get worse, never better.
That
alone is enough reason to understand the need for spiritual growth, and
the need to learn how to claim spiritual progress. But lest we
digress, let us return to the reason for this web page's topic of
unity. Suffice it to say that all are not in meetings for the same
reasons that we are in meetings.
Nonetheless,
those that are well informed are unified, in our great fellowship. We
have seen enough conflict in
the world, in selfish politics and religious differences of loving life or
loving death; there is definitely a global war going on over that
difference of opinion, called the war on terrorism. Remember Steve visiting our group and stating
that in his home group that he had seen a chair being tossed across the
room at someone, and hearing, "I have more serenity than you
do."
Folks,
once we have experienced peace of mind and peace of heart, there is no
other way for us, as individuals, especially since we have gotten through
the calamity of having our difficulties "taken away." The
more that the program of anonymous recovery does for us as individuals,
the more we love and support the program, the way it is written, not the
way that we thought it should have been written, when we first arrived at
the doors, for the first time.
We
were now at Step Three. Many of us said to our Maker, as we
understood Him: "God, I offer myself to Thee-to build with me
and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that
I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory
over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love,
and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always!" We thought well
before taking this step making sure we were ready; that we could at last
abandon ourselves utterly to Him.
(bigbook page 63)
Only
in unity can a safe and serene environment be provided, for all
recovering souls, in the appropriate anonymous fellowship.
