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Mon, Feb 6, 2006 05:46:48 AM


α the lie of self-sufficiency α
posted: Mon, Feb 6, 2006 05:46:48 AM

 

thinking about how self-sufficient i was when i came to recovery, i wonder how i ever survived my active addiction. it is true that i believed that i was self-sufficient and would argue the point with fervor, after all everything in the world was set-up to meet my needs.
what stuck out the most in the reading this morning for me was my dependency on the modern world to provide the comforts of life like; heat, coffee, food, the world-wide web, cigars , music and fuel for my car. i would be sorely pressed to provide any of that for myself, so discovering how to exist in harmony with me community needed to become part of my early recovery and continues to this day. i often rail against post-modern life in this country, complaining about how crowded, rude, and intrusive life has become, ignoring the benefits that i recieve daily from this society. i am not really entitled to any of these things, and they are really a gift that comes from the random chance of me being born when and where i was. to be reminded of where i fit into this scheme once a year is quite a wake-up call. it seems to me that my job is to honor my part of that deal -- do my best to live in harmony with all those folks on whom i depend to live life comfortably. i need to develop a similar attitude of gratitude for the world in which i live in as i have to the fellowship that gave me this new life, tolerating the little inconveniences that come as part of the deal, after all this too is a gift i need to learn how to cherish. remembering that i cannot provide for myself the comforts of modern society any more than i can stay clean without the support of my fellow recovering addicts, or the car of THE POWER THAT KEEPS ME CLEAN AND PROVIDES FOR ALL MY NEEDS!

∞ DT ∞

 

djtConsulting Brand
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.

Another Look!

∞ i cannot we can ∞ 173 words ➥ Sunday, February 6, 2005 by: donnot
∞ with or without drugs, living on self-will inevitably leads to disaster. ∞ 368 words ➥ Tuesday, February 6, 2007 by: donnot
α power is not a human attribute, yet i need power to live. Ω 468 words ➥ Wednesday, February 6, 2008 by: donnot
… **i cannot, but we can.** this simple but profound truth applies … 590 words ➥ Friday, February 6, 2009 by: donnot
« self-sufficiency impedes more than just my ability to stay clean » 525 words ➥ Saturday, February 6, 2010 by: donnot
¤ i had convinced myself that i could make it alone and proceeded to ¤ 778 words ➥ Sunday, February 6, 2011 by: donnot
† with or without drugs † 613 words ➥ Monday, February 6, 2012 by: donnot
Φ when i pretend to be self-sufficient, i isolate myself Φ 425 words ➥ Wednesday, February 6, 2013 by: donnot
⇒ self-sufficiency does not work. i need other addicts ; 698 words ➥ Thursday, February 6, 2014 by: donnot
“ in the end, ” 436 words ➥ Friday, February 6, 2015 by: donnot
✘ i can*t - we can ✔ 789 words ➥ Saturday, February 6, 2016 by: donnot
♤ living on ♠ 521 words ➥ Monday, February 6, 2017 by: donnot
🤹 my need 🤸 589 words ➥ Tuesday, February 6, 2018 by: donnot
🛸 self-will puts 🛸 552 words ➥ Wednesday, February 6, 2019 by: donnot
👐 bad company 👐 426 words ➥ Thursday, February 6, 2020 by: donnot
🗨 admitting that 🗩 335 words ➥ Saturday, February 6, 2021 by: donnot
🚪 seeking the support 🚪 513 words ➥ Sunday, February 6, 2022 by: donnot
💥 constant conflict 💥 430 words ➥ Monday, February 6, 2023 by: donnot
😍 unconditional love 😍 593 words ➥ Tuesday, February 6, 2024 by: donnot
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☯ The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao ☯

THE TAO TEH KING, OR THE TAO AND ITS CHARACTERISTICS
by Lao-Tse
Translated by James Legge

Book 2

2) Therefore (to guard against this), the sage keeps the left-hand
portion of the record of the engagement, and does not insist on the
(speedy) fulfilment of it by the other party. (So), he who has the
attributes (of the Tao) regards (only) the conditions of the engagement,
while he who has not those attributes regards only the conditions
favourable to himself.