kobe-ja/AsBillSeesIt · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 4 128
will acquire a quiet courage, the kind that isn't tensionridden. He can look at "failure" and "success" for what these
really are. Problems and calamity will begin to mean his
instruction, instead of his destruction. He will feel freer and
saner.
The idea that he may have been hypnotizing himself by
autosuggestion will become laughable. His sense of purpose
and of direction will increase. His anxieties will commence to
fade. His physical health will be likely to improve. Wonderful
and unaccountable things will start to happen. Twisted
relations in his family and on the outside will improve
surprisingly.
GRAPEVINE, JUNE 1958
Easy Does It -- but Do It
Procrastination is really sloth in five syllables.
"My observation is that some people can get by with a
certain amount of postponement, but few can live with
outright rebellion."
"We have succeeded in confronting many a problem drinker
with that awful alternative, `This we A.A.'s do, or we die.'
Once this much is firmly in his mind, more drinking only
turns the coil tighter.
"As many an alcoholic has said, `I came to the place where it
was either into A.A. or out the window. So here I am!'"
Groping Toward God
"More than most people, I think, alcoholics want to know
who they are, what this life is about, whether they have a
divine origin and an appointed destiny, and whether there is
a system of cosmic justice and love.
"It is the experience of many of us in the early stages of
drinking to feel that we have had glimpses of the Absolute
and a heightened feeling of identification with the cosmos.
While these glimpses and feelings doubtless have a validity,
they are deformed and finally swept away in the chemical,
spiritual, and emotional damage wrought by the alcohol
itself.
"In A.A., and in many religious approaches, alcoholics find a
great deal more of what they merely glimpsed and felt while
trying to grope their way toward God in alcohol."
Spirituality and Money
Some of us still ask, "Just what is this Third Legacy
business anyhow? And just how much territory does
`service' take in?"
Let's begin with my own sponsor, Ebby. When Ebby heard
how serious my drinking was, he resolved to visit me. He
was in New York; I was in Brooklyn. His resolve was not
enough; he had to take action and he had to spend money.
He called me on the phone and then got into the subway;
total cost, ten cents. At the level of the telephone booth and
subway turnstile, spirituality and money began to mix. One
without the other would have amounted to nothing at all.
Right then and there, Ebby established the principle that A.A.
in action calls for the sacrifice of much time and a little
money.
A.A. COMES OF AGE, P. 140-141
Humility Brings Hope
Now that we no longer patronize bars and bordellos, now
that we bring home the pay checks, now that we are so very
active in A.A., and now that people congratulate us on these
signs of progress -- well, we naturally proceed to
congratulate ourselves. Of course, we are not yet within
hailing distance of humility.
We ought to be willing to try humility in seeking the removal
of our other shortcomings, just as we did when we admitted
that we were powerless over alcohol, and came to believe
that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to
sanity.
If humility could enable us to find the grace by which the
deadly alcohol obsession could be banished, then there
must be hope of the same result respecting any other
problem we can possibly have.
Welcome Criticism
it not been for its strong critics, A.A. would have made
slower progress.
"For myself, I have come to set a high value on the people
who have criticized me, whether they have seemed
reasonable critics or unreasonable ones. Both have often
restrained me from doing much worse than I actually have
done. The unreasonable ones havetaught me, I hope, a little
patience. But the reasonable ones have always done a great
job for all of A.A. -- and have taught me many a valuable
lesson."
Three Choices
The immediate object of our quest is sobriety -- freedom from
alcohol and from all its baleful consequences. Without this
freedom, we have nothing at all.
Paradoxically, though, we can achieve no liberation from the
alcohol obsession until we become willing to deal with those
character defects which have landed us in that helpless
condition. In this freedom quest, we are always given three
choices.
A rebellious refusal to work upon our glaring defects can be
an almost certain ticket to destruction. Or, perhaps for a
time, we can stay sober with a minimum of self-improvement
and settle ourselves into a comfortable but often dangerous
mediocrity. Or,finally, we can continuously try hard for those
sterling qualities that can add up to fineness of spirit and
action -- true and lasting freedom under God.
GRAPEVINE, NOVEMBER 1960
A New-Found Providence
When dealing with a prospect of agnostic or atheistic bent,

will acquire a quiet courage, the kind that isn't tensionridden. He can look at "failure" and "success" for what these

really are. Problems and calamity will begin to mean his

instruction, instead of his destruction. He will feel freer and

saner.

The idea that he may have been hypnotizing himself by

autosuggestion will become laughable. His sense of purpose

and of direction will increase. His anxieties will commence to

fade. His physical health will be likely to improve. Wonderful

and unaccountable things will start to happen. Twisted

relations in his family and on the outside will improve

surprisingly.

GRAPEVINE, JUNE 1958

Easy Does It -- but Do It

Procrastination is really sloth in five syllables.

"My observation is that some people can get by with a

certain amount of postponement, but few can live with

outright rebellion."

"We have succeeded in confronting many a problem drinker

with that awful alternative, `This we A.A.'s do, or we die.'

Once this much is firmly in his mind, more drinking only

turns the coil tighter.

"As many an alcoholic has said, `I came to the place where it

was either into A.A. or out the window. So here I am!'"

Groping Toward God

"More than most people, I think, alcoholics want to know

who they are, what this life is about, whether they have a

divine origin and an appointed destiny, and whether there is

a system of cosmic justice and love.

"It is the experience of many of us in the early stages of

drinking to feel that we have had glimpses of the Absolute

and a heightened feeling of identification with the cosmos.

While these glimpses and feelings doubtless have a validity,

they are deformed and finally swept away in the chemical,

spiritual, and emotional damage wrought by the alcohol

itself.

"In A.A., and in many religious approaches, alcoholics find a

great deal more of what they merely glimpsed and felt while

trying to grope their way toward God in alcohol."

Spirituality and Money

Some of us still ask, "Just what is this Third Legacy

business anyhow? And just how much territory does

`service' take in?"

Let's begin with my own sponsor, Ebby. When Ebby heard

how serious my drinking was, he resolved to visit me. He

was in New York; I was in Brooklyn. His resolve was not

enough; he had to take action and he had to spend money.

He called me on the phone and then got into the subway;

total cost, ten cents. At the level of the telephone booth and

subway turnstile, spirituality and money began to mix. One

without the other would have amounted to nothing at all.

Right then and there, Ebby established the principle that A.A.

in action calls for the sacrifice of much time and a little

money.

A.A. COMES OF AGE, P. 140-141

Humility Brings Hope

Now that we no longer patronize bars and bordellos, now

that we bring home the pay checks, now that we are so very

active in A.A., and now that people congratulate us on these

signs of progress -- well, we naturally proceed to

congratulate ourselves. Of course, we are not yet within

hailing distance of humility.

We ought to be willing to try humility in seeking the removal

of our other shortcomings, just as we did when we admitted

that we were powerless over alcohol, and came to believe

that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to

sanity.

If humility could enable us to find the grace by which the

deadly alcohol obsession could be banished, then there

must be hope of the same result respecting any other

problem we can possibly have.

Welcome Criticism

it not been for its strong critics, A.A. would have made

slower progress.

"For myself, I have come to set a high value on the people

who have criticized me, whether they have seemed

reasonable critics or unreasonable ones. Both have often

restrained me from doing much worse than I actually have

done. The unreasonable ones havetaught me, I hope, a little

patience. But the reasonable ones have always done a great

job for all of A.A. -- and have taught me many a valuable

lesson."

Three Choices

The immediate object of our quest is sobriety -- freedom from

alcohol and from all its baleful consequences. Without this

freedom, we have nothing at all.

Paradoxically, though, we can achieve no liberation from the

alcohol obsession until we become willing to deal with those

character defects which have landed us in that helpless

condition. In this freedom quest, we are always given three

choices.

A rebellious refusal to work upon our glaring defects can be

an almost certain ticket to destruction. Or, perhaps for a

time, we can stay sober with a minimum of self-improvement

and settle ourselves into a comfortable but often dangerous

mediocrity. Or,finally, we can continuously try hard for those

sterling qualities that can add up to fineness of spirit and

action -- true and lasting freedom under God.

GRAPEVINE, NOVEMBER 1960

A New-Found Providence

When dealing with a prospect of agnostic or atheistic bent,