“We forget so we consider
ourselves superior. But we are, after all, a mere part of the creation and we
must consider to understand where we are and we stand somewhere between the
mountain and the
Chief
Oren Lyons Onondaga
Those
who look closely soon have the key to this strange paradox. The A.A. member
has to conform to the principals of recovery. His life actually depends
upon obedience to spiritual principals. If he deviates too far, the penalty is
sure and swift; he sickens and dies. At first he goes along because he must,
but later he discovers a way of life he really wants to live. Moreover, he
finds he cannot keep this priceless gift unless he gives it away. Neither he
nor anybody else can survive unless he carries the A.A. message. The
moment this Twelfth Step work forms a group, another discovery is made--that
most individuals cannot recover unless there is a group. Realization dawns that
he is but a small part of a great whole; that no personal sacrifice is too
great for the preservation of the Fellowship. He learns that the clamor of
desires and ambitions within him must be silenced whenever these could damage
the group. It becomes plain that the group must survive or the individual will
not.
Twelve
Steps & Twelve Traditions pg. 130
Great Spirit let me
remember I am but a part in your creation.