kobe-ja/AsBillSeesIt · Datasets at Hugging Face

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"If people really want to get drunk, there is, so far as I know,
no way of stopping this -- so leave them alone and let them
get drunk. But don't exclude them from the water pail,
either."
Eternal Values
Many people will have no truck at all with absolute spiritual
values. Perfectionists, they say, are either full of conceit
because they fancy they have reached some impossible goal,
or else they are swamped in self-condemnation because they
have not doneso.
Yet I think that we should not hold this view. It is not the fault
of great ideals that they are sometimes misused and so
become shallow excuses for guilt, rebellion, and pride. On
the contrary, we cannot grow very much unless we
constantly try to envision that the eternal spiritual values are.
"Day by day, we try to move a little toward God's perfection.
So we need not be consumed by maudlin guilt for failure to
achieve His likeness and image by Thursday next. Progress
is our aim, and His perfection is the beacon, light-years
away, that draws us on."
Never Again!
"Most people feel more secure on the twenty-four-hour basis
than they do in the resolution that they will never drink again.
Most of them have broken too many resolutions. It's really a
matter of personal choice; every A.A. has the privilege of
interpreting the program as he likes.
"Personally, I take the atitude that I intend never to drink
again. This is somewhat different from saying, `I will never
drink again.' The latter attitude sometimes gets people in
trouble because it is undertaking on a personal basis to do
what we alcoholics never could do. It is too much an act of
will and leaves us too little room for the idea that God will
release us fromthe drink obsession provided we follow the
A.A. program."
Toward Honesty
The perverse wish to hide a bad motive underneath a good
one permeates human affairs from top to bottom. Tis subtle
and elusive kind of self-righteousness can underlie the
smallest act or thought. Learning daily to spot, admit, and
correct these flaws is the essence of character-building and
good living.
The deception of others is nearly always rooted in the
deception of ourselves.
Somehow, being alone with God doesn't seem as
embarrassing as facing up to another person. Until we
actually sit down and talk aloud about what we have so long
hidden, our willingness to clean house is still largely
theoretical. When we are honest with another person, it
confirms that we have been honest with ourselves and with
God.
Companion and Partner
"Dr. Bob was my constant companion and partner in the
great A.A. adventure. As the physician and great human
being that he was, he chose work with others as his prime
A.A, vocation and achieved a record which, in quantity and in
quality, none will ever surpass. Assisted by the incomparable
Sister Ignatia at St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, he -- without
charge -- medically treated and spiritually infused five
thousand sufferers.
"In all the stress and strain of A.A.'s pioneering time, no hard
word ever passed between us. For this, I can thankfully say
that the credit was all his."
I took my leave of Dr. Bob, knowing that he was to undergo a
serious operation. The old, broad smile was on his face as he
said almost jokingly, "Remember, Bill, let's not louse this
thing up. Let's keep it simple!" I turned away, unable to say a
word. That was the last time I ever saw him.
The Wine of Success
Disagreeable or unexpected problems are not the only ones
that call for self-control. We must be quite as careful when
we begin to achieve some measure of importance and
material success. For no people have ever loved personal
triumphs more than we have loved them; we drank of
success as of a wine which could never fail to make us feel
elated. Blinded by prideful self-confidence, we were apt to
play the big shot.
Now that we're in A.A. and sober, winning back the esteem of
our friends and business associates, we find that we still
need to exercise special vigilance. As an insurance against
the dangers of big-shot-ism, we can often check ourselves
by remembering that we are today sober only by the grace of
God and that any success we may be having is far more His
success than ours.
Light from a Prayer
"God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot
change, the courage to change the things we can, and the
wisdom to know the difference."
We treasure our "Serenity Prayer" because it brings a new
light to us that can dissipate our oldtime and nearly fatal
habit of fooling ourselves.
In the radiance of this prayer we see that defeat, rightly
accepted, need be no disaster. We now know that we do not
have to run away, nor ought we again try to overcome
adversity by still another bulldozing power drive that can
only push up obstacles before us faster than they can be
taken down.
Citizens Again
"Each of us in turn -- that is, the member who gets the most
out of the program -- spends a very large amount of time on
Twelfth Step work in the early years. That was my case, and

"If people really want to get drunk, there is, so far as I know,

no way of stopping this -- so leave them alone and let them

get drunk. But don't exclude them from the water pail,

either."

Eternal Values

Many people will have no truck at all with absolute spiritual

values. Perfectionists, they say, are either full of conceit

because they fancy they have reached some impossible goal,

or else they are swamped in self-condemnation because they

have not doneso.

Yet I think that we should not hold this view. It is not the fault

of great ideals that they are sometimes misused and so

become shallow excuses for guilt, rebellion, and pride. On

the contrary, we cannot grow very much unless we

constantly try to envision that the eternal spiritual values are.

"Day by day, we try to move a little toward God's perfection.

So we need not be consumed by maudlin guilt for failure to

achieve His likeness and image by Thursday next. Progress

is our aim, and His perfection is the beacon, light-years

away, that draws us on."

Never Again!

"Most people feel more secure on the twenty-four-hour basis

than they do in the resolution that they will never drink again.

Most of them have broken too many resolutions. It's really a

matter of personal choice; every A.A. has the privilege of

interpreting the program as he likes.

"Personally, I take the atitude that I intend never to drink

again. This is somewhat different from saying, `I will never

drink again.' The latter attitude sometimes gets people in

trouble because it is undertaking on a personal basis to do

what we alcoholics never could do. It is too much an act of

will and leaves us too little room for the idea that God will

release us fromthe drink obsession provided we follow the

A.A. program."

Toward Honesty

The perverse wish to hide a bad motive underneath a good

one permeates human affairs from top to bottom. Tis subtle

and elusive kind of self-righteousness can underlie the

smallest act or thought. Learning daily to spot, admit, and

correct these flaws is the essence of character-building and

good living.

The deception of others is nearly always rooted in the

deception of ourselves.

Somehow, being alone with God doesn't seem as

embarrassing as facing up to another person. Until we

actually sit down and talk aloud about what we have so long

hidden, our willingness to clean house is still largely

theoretical. When we are honest with another person, it

confirms that we have been honest with ourselves and with

God.

Companion and Partner

"Dr. Bob was my constant companion and partner in the

great A.A. adventure. As the physician and great human

being that he was, he chose work with others as his prime

A.A, vocation and achieved a record which, in quantity and in

quality, none will ever surpass. Assisted by the incomparable

Sister Ignatia at St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, he -- without

charge -- medically treated and spiritually infused five

thousand sufferers.

"In all the stress and strain of A.A.'s pioneering time, no hard

word ever passed between us. For this, I can thankfully say

that the credit was all his."

I took my leave of Dr. Bob, knowing that he was to undergo a

serious operation. The old, broad smile was on his face as he

said almost jokingly, "Remember, Bill, let's not louse this

thing up. Let's keep it simple!" I turned away, unable to say a

word. That was the last time I ever saw him.

The Wine of Success

Disagreeable or unexpected problems are not the only ones

that call for self-control. We must be quite as careful when

we begin to achieve some measure of importance and

material success. For no people have ever loved personal

triumphs more than we have loved them; we drank of

success as of a wine which could never fail to make us feel

elated. Blinded by prideful self-confidence, we were apt to

play the big shot.

Now that we're in A.A. and sober, winning back the esteem of

our friends and business associates, we find that we still

need to exercise special vigilance. As an insurance against

the dangers of big-shot-ism, we can often check ourselves

by remembering that we are today sober only by the grace of

God and that any success we may be having is far more His

success than ours.

Light from a Prayer

"God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot

change, the courage to change the things we can, and the

wisdom to know the difference."

We treasure our "Serenity Prayer" because it brings a new

light to us that can dissipate our oldtime and nearly fatal

habit of fooling ourselves.

In the radiance of this prayer we see that defeat, rightly

accepted, need be no disaster. We now know that we do not

have to run away, nor ought we again try to overcome

adversity by still another bulldozing power drive that can

only push up obstacles before us faster than they can be

taken down.

Citizens Again

"Each of us in turn -- that is, the member who gets the most

out of the program -- spends a very large amount of time on

Twelfth Step work in the early years. That was my case, and