Blog entry for:
Wed, Oct 12, 2005 05:38:50 AM
∞ right or wrong ∞
posted: Wed, Oct 12, 2005 05:38:50 AM
one of the gifts of the road i have been traveling is the ability to admit that i may be wrong. tough as it is hard to believe, i do not everything about anything, although i like to act ‘as if’ i do. it is the acting part that gets me. when i was in active addiction i really believed that i knew everything and had all the answers. i find that this attitude creeps back in, even after a few steps and a couple of days clean. an addict shared last night at a meeting that when he encounters the unknown, he reverts to learned behaviors that are familiar. he was actually responding to something i shared in a similar vein and those words still echo in my head.
admitting that i do not have all the answers or maybe that i do not have the answer at this time is not uncharted territory for me but it is still unfamiliar enough that i discover myself, once more back in the know-it-all mode, abandoning any semblance of humility. the good news is that the course of my step work has shown me that this behavior comes from low self-esteem and a total lack of self-respect. if i can intellectually bully someone, i am superior and my ever so fragile ego is once again shored-up at your expense. today, this is one behavior i inventory with my tenth step and i am more than ready to have removed by the POWER THAT KEEPS ME CLEAN and PROVIDES FOR ALL MY NEEDS.
part of the tenth step specifically says ‘ promptly admitted when we were wrong, ’ and that is the part of this step i hate doing the most. after all, i do not like being wrong, i like having the correct answer and i like earning the respect of my peers by having the correct answer.
so the balancing act continues, i admit that once again i am wrong, and am restored to humility from the insanity of self-obsession.
the reading reminds me that i have become dependent on GOD for knowledge and strength and as a result need to loosen my dependence on my intellect, at least just for today!
:) :) DT ∞
admitting that i do not have all the answers or maybe that i do not have the answer at this time is not uncharted territory for me but it is still unfamiliar enough that i discover myself, once more back in the know-it-all mode, abandoning any semblance of humility. the good news is that the course of my step work has shown me that this behavior comes from low self-esteem and a total lack of self-respect. if i can intellectually bully someone, i am superior and my ever so fragile ego is once again shored-up at your expense. today, this is one behavior i inventory with my tenth step and i am more than ready to have removed by the POWER THAT KEEPS ME CLEAN and PROVIDES FOR ALL MY NEEDS.
part of the tenth step specifically says ‘ promptly admitted when we were wrong, ’ and that is the part of this step i hate doing the most. after all, i do not like being wrong, i like having the correct answer and i like earning the respect of my peers by having the correct answer.
so the balancing act continues, i admit that once again i am wrong, and am restored to humility from the insanity of self-obsession.
the reading reminds me that i have become dependent on GOD for knowledge and strength and as a result need to loosen my dependence on my intellect, at least just for today!
:) :) DT ∞
The views expressed on this page are solely the opinion of the author.
While the author is a member of a 12 Step recovery fellowship, these writings are not intended to endorse or express the published wisdom of any fellowship.
These writings are not meant to be socially or politically correct, and if you take issue with any opinions expressed, please seek the guidance of someone wiser than me.
While the author is a member of a 12 Step recovery fellowship, these writings are not intended to endorse or express the published wisdom of any fellowship.
These writings are not meant to be socially or politically correct, and if you take issue with any opinions expressed, please seek the guidance of someone wiser than me.
Another Look!
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☯ The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao ☯
by Lao-Tse
Translated by James Legge
Book 2
3) He who acts (with an ulterior purpose) does harm; he who takes
hold of a thing (in the same way) loses his hold. The sage does not
act (so), and therefore does no harm; he does not lay hold (so), and
therefore does not lose his bold. (But) people in their conduct of
affairs are constantly ruining them when they are on the eve of success.
If they were careful at the end, as (they should be) at the beginning,
they would not so ruin them.