Alcoholics Anonymous Blog & Video July 25 2014
I was very tired yesterday, and very happy to have a long chat with my mother. The previous evening she had come home from hospital and felt much better in herself and to be out of the insanity experienced in a ward of people driven mad by their circumstances. Being in hospital is not a happy experience, and at the same time she was able to help other people which is just what my mum always does.
I asked my mum if it had been a worry that I hadn't gone to see her, and part of me had wanted to jump on a train and go see, and the other part of me was aware that that was the last thing that she would want. Everyone has an idea of what is right for them, but the point for me and my mum is that we are in daily contact most of the time, and there is nothing unsaid between us. So the hour-long chat yesterday was full of humour and seriousness all at the same time.
In the moment of now: the absolute when it comes to emotional and spiritual living, we are always making the best decisions based on what we know. Even the best decisions made in the moment of now will be right for some and wrong for others because of belief and opinion. And what is right for one person can be absolutely wrong for another. It does not mean there needs to be any conflict, it means we need to be respectful of each other's beliefs and opinions. And expectations one way or another are not particularly helpful without a conversation to find common ground.
Tradition: based on history, based on family, community, current culture, and religion can be very divisive. And without respect for other people and their outlook, conflict is always inevitable. Just because you and I are evolving in a particular way, it does not mean we agree on even the basics of how to live. The difference between tradition based on history which tend to lock people down, and the traditions of the Fellowship of AA, is that they offer the greatest flexibility, diversity, and acceptance of people how they are, leads them to be timeless principles in the main. And the most important part of all the traditions is there timeless nature and that they can be interpreted to suit an individual's needs, and at the same time ensure a common purpose. And an underlying principle which is timeless is: "judge not."
We live one day at a time, in the moment of now. And concentrate on the moment of now often means that we let go power notions like "multitasking." For example if we are in a meeting of the Fellowship, in order to concentrate on recovery it is recommended that we listen and share based on what is going on. We do ask that people turn off their electronic devices, and tune in to what is being said, and experience strength and hope in the moment. It is hard enough to stop and listen in a meeting, turn off that phone, and be present in the moment. Unless of course you and I relinquish the notion of power, that we can multitask at 100% across a multitude of issues.
I do have a mobile phone, indeed I have more than one. When I am out in company, most often the phone stays at home, or the phone is off because it is a distraction in the ever present moment of now. When I am taking photographs around London, the phone is definitely at home. Because if I am waiting for the phone to ring, or trying to anticipate that I can ride my bike, take photographs and answer telephone calls all in the same moment of now, I am deluding myself. My existence does not require the notion of being a "multitasker" because if you encounter me in the moment of now, I need to focus my attention on you and not be distracted.
I mentioned a few days ago: "the fuck up which is the NHS," does not mean I have no respect for those who work tirelessly. Listening to the experience that my mother had, people overworked, people doing their best under the most difficult circumstances, the NHS, the national health service in the UK is definitely unwell because of the way it is run and because politicians do not know how to initiate change and progressive methods to improve the structure and the demands on the service. And worst of all, there is no common sense of what it is there to do. Easy for me to say, not easy to suggest the cure.
Step Seven Video 12 And 12
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