I thought of the passage below right away from the program of Alcoholics Anonymous which is located in the front of the Big Book which starts with the contents, and ends on page 164. The pages that follow 164 are referred to as the "stories in the back" which are essentially the alcoholic's personal experience with the program-kinda like personal testimonies of something working, but not the program itself. So while many of us have a great deal of insight and wisdom, again, it's just that person's experience with the Steps that brought them to a HP.
"We, of ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, know thousands of men and women who were once just as hopeless as Bill. Nearly all have recovered. They have solved the drink problem.
We are average Americans. All sections of this country and many of its occupations are represented, as well as many political, economic, social, and religious backgrounds. We are people who normally would not mix. But there exists among us a fellowship, a friendliness, and an understanding which is indescribably wonderful. We are like the passengers of a great liner the moment after rescue from shipwreck when camaraderie, joyousness and democracy pervade the vessel from steerage to Captain's table. Unlike the feelings of the ship's passengers, however, our joy in escape from disaster does not subside as we go our individual ways. The feeling of having shared in a common peril is one element in the powerful cement which binds us. But that in itself would never have held us together as we are now joined.
The tremendous fact for every one of us is that we have discovered a common solution. We have a way out on which we can absolutely agree, and upon which we can join in brotherly and harmonious action. This is the great news this book carries to those who suffer from alcoholism."
If I know anything, I know the ego. The ego is constantly looking for identification. It needs an "identity" to identify with, in order to run the show. It needs to then follow up its identity with a belief system, concepts, convictions, opinions, and so on. The only thing the ego can do in AA is identify as alcoholic, and that is supposed to be a humbling process which minimizes the ego long enough to ease God in and this of course depends upon how ginormous the ego is.
Some never get humbled-in fact, they instead try to become AA superstars and immerse themselves in the "lifestyle" and have zero problem telling all who will listen that they are in recovery. Always recovering, never recovered, because if they recovered they would have to lose that identity too.
So, it comes down to this... in here, we are equal. We all get to sit at the Captains table and just be the light of God no matter how low, or bright the light is currently. Some days it's just the pilot light lit, some days steady and strong, some days so bright you would think the house is on fire!! No one cares what I do, what I think about the current thing, if I am black, white, red, how much money I make, or what my sexual preferences are...."Are you willing to go to any lengths to get well?" Awesome, let's get the book and get started. If someone does care about those things instead of how they may be of service, then it's probably time for an ego crushing reworking of the Steps so that the Soul can start to truly develop and override the ego as in divine right order.
Out in the world I am free to identify my life away if I so choose, but in here, I'm just an anonymous recovered drunk using her experience out in the field to be of maybe by of service today with my primary purpose, or just anchor in at the Captain's table so that this thing stays available to the next generations-either way, the ego can sit this one out so our light can shine through our humility.