It is a paradox in the
contemporary world that in our desire for peace we must willingly give
ourselves to struggle."
Linda Hogan Chickasaw
Who
cares to admit complete defeat? Practically no one, of course. Every natural
instinct cries out against the idea of personal powerlessness. It is truly
awful to admit that, glass in hand, we have warped our minds into such an
obsession for destructive drinking that only an act of
No
other kind of bankruptcy is like this one. Alcohol, now become the rapacious
creditor, bleeds us of all self-sufficiency and all will to resist its demands.
Once this stark fact is accepted, our bankruptcy as going human concerns is
complete.
But
upon entering A.A. we soon take quite another view of this absolute
humiliation. We perceive that only through utter defeat are we able to take our
first steps toward liberation and strength. Our admissions of personal
powerlessness finally turn out to be firm bedrock upon which happy and purposeful
lives can be built.
Twelve
Steps & Twelve Traditions pg. 21
Great
Spirit guide us in our struggles.