The How and The Why Of It

Step we are on: Three

Chapter: 5 "How It Works"

Subject: Playing God, Selfishness, Self-centeredness, morality, philosophy

• We must have what?

We had to have God's help.

Page 62 - continued

• What is the first thing we must do?  First two sentences

This is the how and why of it. First of all, we had to quit playing God.

• Why?

It didn't work.

• What did we then decide?

Next, we decided that hereafter in this drama of life, God was going to be our Director.

• If He is the Principal, what are we?

He is the Principal; we are His agents.

• If He is the Father, what are we?

He is the Father, and we are His children

Peace and  Love,

Danny S – RLRA

Real Live Recovered Alcoholic

http://stepelevencomesalive.blogspot.com/

The Failure of Learning Morality and Philosophy

Step we are on: Three

Chapter: 5 "How It Works"

Subject: Playing God, The Actor, Selfishness, Self-centeredness, morality, philosophy

• How can we be rid of this selfishness?

God makes that possible.

• What alternatives are there?

And there often seems no way of entirely getting rid of self without His aid.

• Do many of us have a high standard of values?

Many of us had moral and philosophical convictions galore,

• How well do we live up to our own values?

but we could not live up to them even though we would have liked to.

Sometimes we hear folks say, "I came from a good family. I had a good upbringing," and yet still they do not know why it is they became alcoholic.

• What can we not reduce through our own willpower?

Neither could we reduce our self-centeredness much by wishing or trying on our own power.

Trying to install our own "goodness" is a futile effort. Learning in this “study” won’t do it. Reading spiritual books won't either. Multiple inventories, playing musical sponsors, switching groups, taking on more and more service work, amassing spiritual philosophy won't do it. These activities represent trying by our own willpower. 

While these things may give the impression we are doing something for our own good and for the good of others, ultimately they are all based on ambitious self-will. 

Such activities only mimic the 12 Step "into action" idea, while enlarging the dark nature inside us called Ego - all in the name of spirituality. Maybe even in the name of God. 

The shedding of selfishness is not something we can work out through our own willful actions. We cannot become good by acting good.

But the next line tells us how it does happen. 

We will do it tomorrow.

Peace and  Love,

Danny S – RLRA

Real Live Recovered Alcoholic

http://stepelevencomesalive.blogspot.com/

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Selfish Alcoholics are Dying

Step we are on: Three

Chapter: 5 "How It Works"

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

Read Time: 1.5 mins

Good morning. The co-authors are showing us where our troubles are rooted.

• Do others - people, places, and things – create our problems?

So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making.

• Where do they come from?

They arise out of ourselves,

• What is the alcoholic an extreme example of?

and the alcoholic is an extreme example of self-will run riot,

• Do alcoholics typically see this truth?

though he usually doesn't think so.

• Above everything, what must happen?

Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness.

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

• Why is that so important?

We must, or it kills us!

Comment:  And they said, “There are no “musts” in the Program of Alcoholics Anonymous”    Well, here are two of them!

This is a matter of life and death.

Placing our own interest ahead of the rights comforts and happiness of others will kill us. A person who goes through life stepping on the toes of his fellows, boorishly muddling through life, self-absorbed, unaware, without a clue – like Mr. Magoo unaware of the trail of crashed cars he's caused in his wake – is slowly dying.

TOMORROW

• How can we be rid of this selfishness?
• What alternatives are there?
• Do many of us have a high standard of values?
• How well do we live up to our own values?
• What can we not reduce through our own willpower?

Peace and Love,

Danny S – RLRA

Real Live Recovered Alcoholic

http://stepelevencomesalive.blogspot.com/

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.

Self Centered People are Producers of Confusion

Step we are on: Three

Chapter: 5 "How It Works"

Subject: Playing God, resentment, self-pity, self-centeredness, The Actor, Anger

• How do his actions affect the other people in his life?

And do not his actions make each of them wish to retaliate, snatching all they can get out of the show?

• What is usually the product of his efforts?

Is he not, even in his best moments, a producer of confusion rather than harmony?

• What would people call our actor?

Our actor is self-centered - ego-centric, as people like to call it nowadays.

• He can be compared to whom?

He is like the retired business man who lolls in the Florida sunshine in the winter complaining of the sad state of the nation; the minister who sighs over the sins of the twentieth century; politicians and reformers who are sure all would be Utopia.

Utopia – any conception of an ideal state

The Winston Simplified Dictionary – 1938

Page 62

  

• With our fussing and complaining, what are we really concerned with?

Whatever our protestations, are not most of us concerned with ourselves, our resentments, or our self-pity?

Pity is a feeling of sorrow for the distress of others. Self-pity can be seen as a feeling of sorrow for the distress of one’s "Self".

Peace and  Love,

Danny S – RLRA

Real Live Recovered Alcoholic

http://stepelevencomesalive.blogspot.com/