Alcoholics Anonymous | April 10 | DonInLondon | Step 4 "Fear Less Inventory"

Don DonInLondon says

April 10, 2013 at 4:05 am

Alcoholics Anonymous | April 10 2013 | DonInLondon | Step 4 “Fear Less
Inventory” What is spiritual? “Spiritual direction is a process of
accompanying people on a spiritual journey and helping them grow closer to
God (or the sacred, the holy, or a higher power). Spiritual direction helps
people learn how to live in peace, with compassion, promoting justice, and
as humble servants of that which lies beyond all names…” In my life, and
this is my personal opinion, spiritual is the universal truth, love and
wisdom of now. Everything is spiritual, and in the moment, we develop the
truth and love through action. The opposite or negative spiritual: lies,
hate and ignorance. Like vices and virtues, we all have the capacity as we
are on our spiritual journey to be positively spiritual and negatively
spiritual, it depends on our intentions and actions. And what we actually
do today…
Video For Today:
Alcoholics Anonymous | April 10 2013 | DonInLondon | Step 4 “Fear Less
Inventory” “Nothing, absolutely nothing is wasted in God’s economy…” When
we express that something has been a waste of time, we forget that as human
beings we are all learning together and separately on our spiritual journey
today. I know my notion of spiritual is not for everyone, because I am
still unable to describe God, beyond the universal truth of now, which
includes everything, people, places and things, and how we are developing
and coping one day at a time. Universal truth is far bigger and greater
than me, because I don’t know the universal truth of now. Like everyone
else, the truth of now is as good as it gets, and then the truth changes as
people, places and things change. Living reality is spiritual, nothing
excluded, and everything to learn. Everyone is a learner in this day, even
when we do not think we have made progress and feel the “waste of time,”
nothing is wasted unless we keep on doing the same things over and over and
expect a different result…
I’m sure that the last couple of days in the UK has brought up a lot of
wounds which have happened over the decades because of leaders and their
particular outlooks and values. And these are spiritual matters, everything
is spiritual in this world. And to suggest that the diversity of beliefs
and opinions which make people the way they are ought not to be included in
any sort of debate makes the spiritual life a very narrow and difficult
state of affairs. The recall of our UK Parliament to discuss the death of a
previous prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, it is a spiritual matter and
the consequences of treating her death and her funeral as a matter of
“state” will cause problems. The cost, 10,000,000 pounds, that will provoke
some people, and what provokes most people to one side or another is what
the iron Lady did whilst in power. There is no point in me elaborating any
further, it is a spiritual matter which has been made bigger and broader
because of the desire to place value far and above that which is deserved
and that which is fostered as a political ideology. This is the truth of
now, and then the truth will keep on changing about this matter and it is
spiritual, as people, places and things are impacted by events today and
each day subsequently…
How does diversity, tolerance and love affect me in sobriety? The
celebration of a politician with iron will and notoriety for being
determined and expressing clear views about what they wanted to do, and
then did it. There is no argument, about what happened and what Margaret
Thatcher did in my own mind. I simply disagree with the direction she took
our country and the impact on people, places and things. And the good news
in our country is we can disagree, and we have the political system which
allows everyone their point of view. The reason I mention this is because
in the world of fellowship, we have a right to be here, we have a right to
be ourselves and we recognise diversity, and above all, we recognise our
similarities as human beings. I am allowed to express my opinion, and you
are allowed to express your opinion, I hope you do, because without you and
your opinion, how on Earth am I ever going to get to the truth, which is
important right now?
In my family, my mum and dad probably had very different views politically,
and yet without doubt, they loved each other dearly. Having different
beliefs and opinions did not get in the way of love. And chatting with my
sister yesterday, who did not get a fair hearing ever from my dad, she
loved him, even though he was the most difficult individual with very
abusive verbal behaviour towards anything that did not suit him. And I
agree, I loved my dad, but he was so full of prejudice. It made it very
difficult to see beyond his views on life and love the man who we was. But
we did love him. And at the same time, we often hated his behaviour and
what he did. This is all part of being human and spiritual. I’m pretty sure
my father hated what Margaret Thatcher represented, at the same time, he
would have respected her? No, I respected her right to do what she did, my
father simply was prejudiced in all respects. And the spiritual path for
me, I can have my own belief and opinion about anything, and people may
still love me. And I do believe within fellowship, the understanding which
helps me most is: we can love people, and hate their behaviour at the same
time. And hopefully the same is true, the other way round, sometimes people
will dislike our opinions, beliefs and outlooks, and still love us as we
love them…
So how am I feeling this morning? What is really important to me is to
understand where I am today. I do not feel anger or hate about anything, I
feel I’ve come to terms with lots of what has happened over the years. And
the reason why is because fellowship started me back on a journey of
discovery, and one of the things reinforced from step four is that everyone
has a right to be here today. No matter what, no matter what has happened
in the past, I would prefer everyone to be loved and cared for, to bring
out the best of humanity in all its peculiarities. To respect and honour
truth, to keep on learning the truth, to keep on learning about love and
how to be with people. To be generous and forgiving, we don’t forget, what
we learn if we are lucky is how to cherish the good and love the good of
people even when they hold different beliefs and different opinions,
because how else would we learn the best path forward, not just for today,
for every day…

Alcoholics Anonymous | April 10 2012 | DonInLondon | Step 4 “Fear Less
Inventory” Today’s AA daily reflection: “all about growing up…” This is
particularly poignant this morning, I have an appointment with a medical
consultant this morning. And to aid the discussion of my physical and
emotional health, I have written a brief history of my life from 1967 to
date. And it’s all about growing up…
Video For Today:
April 10 2012 | AA 12 Steps In Action | Step 4 “Inventory” | Alcoholics
Anonymous
April in the daily reflections from AA is all about step four and writing a
brief summary of what happened to me is very enlightening, disturbing and
very fruitful. First and foremost accepting the past and what happened, the
why and how. Knowing what my part in matters were and how I can change on a
daily basis, sometimes making progress, no actually always making progress,
especially at the extremes of good and bad times…
I’ve been in touch with an old friend, actually I’m not sure what the
status of our relationship is. But I’m reminded just how difficult those
early days in recovery are especially when returning to sobriety one day at
a time. So easy to forget how fearful it was to come to a meeting of the
Fellowship. And in those early days, newcomers meetings and stopping the
drink and returning to sobriety is against all the odds…
Self-appraisal, an honest and fearless look at what happened in our lives,
is truly difficult. Why me? Why not me? Then a brief history and then a
thorough fearless look at assets and liabilities. Step four shows us how
resilient and tenacious we have been even when we have been self-harming.
And the prejudice we have against ourselves becomes clear as we continue
our journey and live the twelve steps… Letting go and letting good
happen, endeavour and acceptance and as we let go self-prejudice our
prejudice against others may disappear with time… Especially when we are
reminded what it is like to be a newcomer every day…
DonInLondon 2005-2011
Fear and suspicion in early days kept me looking for the cracks in
fellowship, or that there was something more than what I saw on a daily
basis. I realised there was nothing but what I saw was what there was, a
huge diversity of people with one similarity, to be unique and authentic
individuals free and sober for today…
“Now” is about endeavour, understanding the possible, striving with hope
and living the truth of now ~ Thomas Kempis “Great tranquillity of heart is
his who cares for neither praise nor blame.” -/- Right sized and equal with
our fellows.. life is what it is
-/-
AA Daily Reflection: GROWING UP ~ The essence of all growth is a
willingness to change for the better and then an unremitting willingness to
shoulder whatever responsibility this entails. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 115
Sometimes when I’ve become willing to do what I should have been doing all
along, I want praise and recognition. I don’t realize that the more I’m
willing to act differently, the more exciting my life is. The more I am
willing to help others, the more rewards I receive. That’s what practicing
the principles means to me. Fun and benefits for me are in the willingness
to do the actions, not to get immediate results. Being a little kinder, a
little slower to anger, a little more loving makes my life better-day by
day.
-/-
As Bill Sees It ~ Surveying the Past ~ We should make an accurate and
really exhaustive survey of our past life as it has affected other people.
In many instances we shall find that, though the harm done to others has
not been great, we have nevertheless done ourselves considerable injury.
Then, too, damaging emotional conflicts persist below the level of
consciousness, very deep, sometimes quite forgotten. Therefore, we should
try hard to recall and review those past events which originally induced
these conflicts and which continue to give our emotions violent twists,
thus discolouring our personalities and altering our lives for the worse…
“We reacted more strongly to frustration than normal people. By reliving
these episodes and discussing them in strict confidence with somebody else,
we can reduce their size and therefore their potency in the unconscious.”
1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, PP. 79-80 2. LETTER, 1957
-/-
Alcoholics Anonymous, 12 Steps AA, AA Step 4 Inventory, DonInLondon, Don
Oddy,
-/-

Comments

Don DonInLondon says

April 10, 2013 at 4:05 am

Alcoholics Anonymous | April 10 2013 | DonInLondon | Step 4 “Fear Less
Inventory” What is spiritual? “Spiritual direction is a process of
accompanying people on a spiritual journey and helping them grow closer to
God (or the sacred, the holy, or a higher power). Spiritual direction helps
people learn how to live in peace, with compassion, promoting justice, and
as humble servants of that which lies beyond all names…” In my life, and
this is my personal opinion, spiritual is the universal truth, love and
wisdom of now. Everything is spiritual, and in the moment, we develop the
truth and love through action. The opposite or negative spiritual: lies,
hate and ignorance. Like vices and virtues, we all have the capacity as we
are on our spiritual journey to be positively spiritual and negatively
spiritual, it depends on our intentions and actions. And what we actually
do today…
Video For Today:
Alcoholics Anonymous | April 10 2013 | DonInLondon | Step 4 “Fear Less
Inventory” “Nothing, absolutely nothing is wasted in God’s economy…” When
we express that something has been a waste of time, we forget that as human
beings we are all learning together and separately on our spiritual journey
today. I know my notion of spiritual is not for everyone, because I am
still unable to describe God, beyond the universal truth of now, which
includes everything, people, places and things, and how we are developing
and coping one day at a time. Universal truth is far bigger and greater
than me, because I don’t know the universal truth of now. Like everyone
else, the truth of now is as good as it gets, and then the truth changes as
people, places and things change. Living reality is spiritual, nothing
excluded, and everything to learn. Everyone is a learner in this day, even
when we do not think we have made progress and feel the “waste of time,”
nothing is wasted unless we keep on doing the same things over and over and
expect a different result…
I’m sure that the last couple of days in the UK has brought up a lot of
wounds which have happened over the decades because of leaders and their
particular outlooks and values. And these are spiritual matters, everything
is spiritual in this world. And to suggest that the diversity of beliefs
and opinions which make people the way they are ought not to be included in
any sort of debate makes the spiritual life a very narrow and difficult
state of affairs. The recall of our UK Parliament to discuss the death of a
previous prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, it is a spiritual matter and
the consequences of treating her death and her funeral as a matter of
“state” will cause problems. The cost, 10,000,000 pounds, that will provoke
some people, and what provokes most people to one side or another is what
the iron Lady did whilst in power. There is no point in me elaborating any
further, it is a spiritual matter which has been made bigger and broader
because of the desire to place value far and above that which is deserved
and that which is fostered as a political ideology. This is the truth of
now, and then the truth will keep on changing about this matter and it is
spiritual, as people, places and things are impacted by events today and
each day subsequently…
How does diversity, tolerance and love affect me in sobriety? The
celebration of a politician with iron will and notoriety for being
determined and expressing clear views about what they wanted to do, and
then did it. There is no argument, about what happened and what Margaret
Thatcher did in my own mind. I simply disagree with the direction she took
our country and the impact on people, places and things. And the good news
in our country is we can disagree, and we have the political system which
allows everyone their point of view. The reason I mention this is because
in the world of fellowship, we have a right to be here, we have a right to
be ourselves and we recognise diversity, and above all, we recognise our
similarities as human beings. I am allowed to express my opinion, and you
are allowed to express your opinion, I hope you do, because without you and
your opinion, how on Earth am I ever going to get to the truth, which is
important right now?
In my family, my mum and dad probably had very different views politically,
and yet without doubt, they loved each other dearly. Having different
beliefs and opinions did not get in the way of love. And chatting with my
sister yesterday, who did not get a fair hearing ever from my dad, she
loved him, even though he was the most difficult individual with very
abusive verbal behaviour towards anything that did not suit him. And I
agree, I loved my dad, but he was so full of prejudice. It made it very
difficult to see beyond his views on life and love the man who we was. But
we did love him. And at the same time, we often hated his behaviour and
what he did. This is all part of being human and spiritual. I’m pretty sure
my father hated what Margaret Thatcher represented, at the same time, he
would have respected her? No, I respected her right to do what she did, my
father simply was prejudiced in all respects. And the spiritual path for
me, I can have my own belief and opinion about anything, and people may
still love me. And I do believe within fellowship, the understanding which
helps me most is: we can love people, and hate their behaviour at the same
time. And hopefully the same is true, the other way round, sometimes people
will dislike our opinions, beliefs and outlooks, and still love us as we
love them…
So how am I feeling this morning? What is really important to me is to
understand where I am today. I do not feel anger or hate about anything, I
feel I’ve come to terms with lots of what has happened over the years. And
the reason why is because fellowship started me back on a journey of
discovery, and one of the things reinforced from step four is that everyone
has a right to be here today. No matter what, no matter what has happened
in the past, I would prefer everyone to be loved and cared for, to bring
out the best of humanity in all its peculiarities. To respect and honour
truth, to keep on learning the truth, to keep on learning about love and
how to be with people. To be generous and forgiving, we don’t forget, what
we learn if we are lucky is how to cherish the good and love the good of
people even when they hold different beliefs and different opinions,
because how else would we learn the best path forward, not just for today,
for every day…

Alcoholics Anonymous | April 10 2012 | DonInLondon | Step 4 “Fear Less
Inventory” Today’s AA daily reflection: “all about growing up…” This is
particularly poignant this morning, I have an appointment with a medical
consultant this morning. And to aid the discussion of my physical and
emotional health, I have written a brief history of my life from 1967 to
date. And it’s all about growing up…
Video For Today:
April 10 2012 | AA 12 Steps In Action | Step 4 “Inventory” | Alcoholics
Anonymous
April in the daily reflections from AA is all about step four and writing a
brief summary of what happened to me is very enlightening, disturbing and
very fruitful. First and foremost accepting the past and what happened, the
why and how. Knowing what my part in matters were and how I can change on a
daily basis, sometimes making progress, no actually always making progress,
especially at the extremes of good and bad times…
I’ve been in touch with an old friend, actually I’m not sure what the
status of our relationship is. But I’m reminded just how difficult those
early days in recovery are especially when returning to sobriety one day at
a time. So easy to forget how fearful it was to come to a meeting of the
Fellowship. And in those early days, newcomers meetings and stopping the
drink and returning to sobriety is against all the odds…
Self-appraisal, an honest and fearless look at what happened in our lives,
is truly difficult. Why me? Why not me? Then a brief history and then a
thorough fearless look at assets and liabilities. Step four shows us how
resilient and tenacious we have been even when we have been self-harming.
And the prejudice we have against ourselves becomes clear as we continue
our journey and live the twelve steps… Letting go and letting good
happen, endeavour and acceptance and as we let go self-prejudice our
prejudice against others may disappear with time… Especially when we are
reminded what it is like to be a newcomer every day…
DonInLondon 2005-2011
Fear and suspicion in early days kept me looking for the cracks in
fellowship, or that there was something more than what I saw on a daily
basis. I realised there was nothing but what I saw was what there was, a
huge diversity of people with one similarity, to be unique and authentic
individuals free and sober for today…
“Now” is about endeavour, understanding the possible, striving with hope
and living the truth of now ~ Thomas Kempis “Great tranquillity of heart is
his who cares for neither praise nor blame.” -/- Right sized and equal with
our fellows.. life is what it is
-/-
AA Daily Reflection: GROWING UP ~ The essence of all growth is a
willingness to change for the better and then an unremitting willingness to
shoulder whatever responsibility this entails. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 115
Sometimes when I’ve become willing to do what I should have been doing all
along, I want praise and recognition. I don’t realize that the more I’m
willing to act differently, the more exciting my life is. The more I am
willing to help others, the more rewards I receive. That’s what practicing
the principles means to me. Fun and benefits for me are in the willingness
to do the actions, not to get immediate results. Being a little kinder, a
little slower to anger, a little more loving makes my life better-day by
day.
-/-
As Bill Sees It ~ Surveying the Past ~ We should make an accurate and
really exhaustive survey of our past life as it has affected other people.
In many instances we shall find that, though the harm done to others has
not been great, we have nevertheless done ourselves considerable injury.
Then, too, damaging emotional conflicts persist below the level of
consciousness, very deep, sometimes quite forgotten. Therefore, we should
try hard to recall and review those past events which originally induced
these conflicts and which continue to give our emotions violent twists,
thus discolouring our personalities and altering our lives for the worse…
“We reacted more strongly to frustration than normal people. By reliving
these episodes and discussing them in strict confidence with somebody else,
we can reduce their size and therefore their potency in the unconscious.”
1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, PP. 79-80 2. LETTER, 1957
-/-
Alcoholics Anonymous, 12 Steps AA, AA Step 4 Inventory, DonInLondon, Don
Oddy,
-/-