“Selfishness-self- centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles. Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, -a form of self-deception where an individual ignores or rationalizes away evidence to maintain a specific, often more comfortable, perception of reality ( softer and easier way ) self-seeking, an excessive, often exclusive, focus on one's own interests, profit, or desires, typically at the expense of others. It is characterized by selfish, narcissistic, or egocentric behavior, where personal gain is prioritized over the well-being of others. and self-pity, an excessive, self-absorbed focus on one’s own misfortunes, often fostering a feeling of being a helpless victim and a "why me?" mentality. It hinders personal growth and strains relationships by creating emotional distance, reducing empathy for others, and fostering negativity. "we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate.' meaning they may actually...
I also thought about how this lesson allowed me to stop placing so much “weight” on other humans or earthly entities. For example - a sponsor who ends up relapsing. Without believing that God is the solution and spiritual help is my only hope, something like this happening would have blown my mind in the beginning and I’m sure it did back then! I put humans on pedestals internally and if they faltered, it was a big shock to me. But once I truly grasped “the God idea” and started to place all my eggs in the God basket - that all changed for me. I see everything in terms of spiritual fitness and spiritual condition that happens through the maintenance of practicing the AA principles. It’s no longer seen as willpower or some humanly strength that I saw it as in the beginning. Thank you for your insightful share about something that I have struggled with communicating about what I personally derived from the human aid concept. Because of my background in extremes, ...