What a delicate subject spirituality can be at a meeting. There is often, I find, a tendency to want to instruct others on what this vital part of the program is. Not a good Idea.
Once again, I am reminded of Bill W’s. experiences with this were, when AA was in its infancy. He writes about this in the Language of the Heart. He said he began by trying to get others to believe in his concept of a God. Big mistake. He drove many a drunk away from AA because of this. He said how much he regretted doing that. It was his spiritual pride that was in play, according to him.
Later, when the BB was written, there is one place in there, besides the description of God as we understand him, where it gets more specific. It tells us that we are not there to teach anyone anything. We are to leave others alone, especially the newcomers, when it comes to this subject. We’re told that it is up to the individual themselves to find their own conception of God or a higher power, as long as it makes sense to them.
I know one person, who chose a tree. They later said it evolved into something more personal, but they never taught or described it to anyone else.
Spirituality is personal. It’s up to us to come to some understanding through the process of the steps. The spiritual awakening it talks about in the 12th Step pretty much describes the personality changes within us. Us alcoholics becoming a new person. We’ve changed for the better. Not that we might be aware of it, but we can look around the rooms at others, who have obviously changed and are leading a way of life that reflects that change. The evidence that this program works and that the solution to our alcoholism is definitely spiritual. Even though we may be unable to describe what that is. We don’t have to, nor should we.
I remember someone requesting me to speak at a convention once, where I was listed as the Sun. morning Spiritual Speaker. I can’t tell you how embarrassing that was to hear that. When the time came to speak, I told my fellow alcoholics that I was not a spiritual speaker. I was simply another alcoholic, just like them, who had come to tell my story. Period.
I also remember in AA Comes of Age, that an AA board member, not an alcoholic, who spoke and said how much he admired sober AA members, who were living a spiritual life in a material world. To me, that pretty much can be a description of what the spiritual life is all about.
I know for myself, that when I learned that I had to find a way to live a spiritual life or die an alcoholic death, I chose to try to lead a spiritual life. I never wanted to take a drink of alcohol ever again. So, I did what I was told. And I was told that if I wanted to stay sober I would do what those sober alcoholics did themselves. They worked the 12 Steps into their lives and became better for it. They never drank again. Neither have I.
I was thinking about this today, after someone brought up spirituality as a topic.