True Tolerance

Good Morning!!! God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; and Wisdom to know the difference. Thy will, not mine, be done. *~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~* May 29, 202​5 TRUE TOLERANCE The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 139 I first heard the short form of the Third Tradition in the Preamble. When I came to A.A. I could not accept myself, my alcoholism, or a Higher Power. If there had been any physical, mental, moral, or religious requirements for membership, I would be dead today. Bill W. said in his tape on the Traditions that the Third Tradition is a charter for individual freedom. The most impressive thing to me was the feeling of acceptance from members who were practicing the Third Tradition by tolerating and accepting me. I feel acceptance is love and love is God’s will for us. ********************************************** Obstacles in Our Path We live in a world riddled with envy. To a greater or lesser degree, everybody is infected with it. From this defect we must surely get a warped yet definite satisfaction. Else why would we consume so much time wishing for what we have not, rather than working for it, or angrily looking for attributes we shall never have, instead of adjusting to the fact, and accepting it? Each of us would like to live at peace with himself and with his fellows. We would like to be assured that the grace of God can do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. We have seen that character defects based upon shortsighted or unworthy desires are the obstacles that block our path toward these objectives. We now clearly see that we have been making unreasonable demands upon ourselves, upon others, and upon God. TWELVE AND TWELVE 1. P. 67 2. P. 76 * The cofounders of Alcoholics Anonymous referred to the alcoholic’s obsession as a “mental blank spot.” What is a mental blank spot but unconsciousness? Consciousness means the elimination of mental blank spots. The “strange mental blank spot” cannot occur when a person is spiritually fit, awake, aware, and conscious. It just is not possible. This repetitive mitigation of guilt keeps pain and pleasure balanced, so, the alcoholic can live with a facsimile of sanity and maintain appearances. “I got my sh*t together,” he thinks. This continuous cycle of action, beyond our conscious control, is what society terms addiction. It is the way the guilty can maintain balance. Maintaining this equilibrium eventually becomes the main object of the alcoholic’s life. Anything that becomes the main object of a life is an obsession. He seeks a very special kind of mindlessness, one that is in response to pain and is a method of escaping from the guilt brought on by playing God. The alcoholic who is dependent upon this in order to live with ease and comfort loses a piece of his mind as he forces counterfeit peace of mind, he knows he does not deserve— and so, he becomes a slave to whatever courses of action or substances he can incorporate into his life. It's a drinking lifestyle common to all alcoholics in all walks of life. Daniel J Schwarzhoff‎ - Recovered Alcoholics