The Root of Our Troubles

Step we are on: Three

Chapter: 5 "How It Works"

Subject: Playing God, resentment, The Actor, Anger, Selfishness, Self-centeredness

Comment:  The authors of this Book are reporting what they did and what they learned about themselves. This Book is based on their experience and knowledge, not ideas or opinions.

• What is the root of our troubles?  Two sentences

Selfishness - self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles.

Selfish – When our actions are activated by - or become absorbed with, our own interests without regard to the rights, comfort or happiness of others, placing our wishes or advantage first. The Winston Simplified Dictionary – 1938

NOTE:  It is common to mistakenly equate “root” with “starting point” or source.

In 1938, ‘root’ meant ‘‘anchor’ not ‘cause’.

Roots (anchors) do not cause themselves. Something causative comes before roots. We are going to learn in a few pages how this root of selfishness and self-centeredness.  gets started in the first place. There is no point in addressing effects while its cause continues unabated. We should not be stuck in believing that selfishness is the source of our troubles when it is merely one of the terrible effects, a symptom that helps characterize “spiritual disease.” *

• What manifestations of our selfishness drive us?

Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity,

Fear – A desire to escape, avoid displeasure characterized by dread or expectation of harm; anxiety. The Winston Simplified Dictionary – 1938

• What do we do?

we step on the toes of our fellows

It is hard to be considerate of others when one is as self-absorbed and mesmerized by one’s own thoughts. Fearful means lacking in faith. It is the opposite of courageous.

• And they do what?

and they retaliate

• When people hurt us, seemingly without any provocation on our part, what do we usually find?

 Sometimes they hurt us, seemingly without provocation, but we invariably find that at some time in the past we have made decisions based on self which later placed us in a position to be hurt.

Tomorrow:

• Who is really responsible for all our troubles?
• Where do they come from?
• What is the alcoholic an extreme example of?
• Can the alcoholic see the truth?
• Above everything, what must happen?
• Why is that so important?

Peace and  Love,

Danny S – RLRA

Real Live Recovered Alcoholic

http://stepelevencomesalive.blogspot.com/

* On page 64, we will discover how it is “resentment” that comes before “selfishness.” Selfishness is merely one of the symptoms of spiritual sickness, not the cause of it. This is important because not seeing this can cause one to futilely struggle with trying to overcome selfishness (usually by compensating with phony  do-good behavior) when it will leave automatically once we are freed from anger.