How can A.A. best assure its
continued existence?
Answer
Since the beginning of recorded time, many
societies and nations of civilizations have
passed in review. In those great ones that
have left their mark for good, in contrast
with those who have left their mark for
evil, there has always been a sense of
history, a true and high constant purpose,
and there has always been a sense of
destiny.
In the societies which failed to leave a
bright mark in the annals of the world,
there was always a false or boastful sense
of history, always a mistaken or inadequate
purpose and always the presumption of an
infinite, a glorious and an exclusive
destiny.
In the societies that left their mark of
goodness on time, the sense of history was
not a matter for pride or for glory; it was
the substance of the learning of the
experience of the past. In the purpose of
such a society there was always truth and
constancy, but never a supposition that the
society had apprehended all of the truth -
or the superior truth. And in the sense of
destiny there was no conceit, no supposition
that a society or nation or culture would
last forever and go on to greater glories.
But there was always a sense of duty to be
fulfilled, whatever destiny the society
might be assigned by providence for the
betterment of the world.
This is the crossroads at which we in A.A.
stand. This is a good time to re-examine how
well we have looked upon our A.A. history
and how much we have profited by it, what
false insights or false glories we may have
been extracting from history - to our future
detriment. It is a moment to examine the
purpose of this Society. Indeed, we are very
lucky to be able to state as the nucleus of
that purpose a single word: sobriety.
Quite early we saw, however, that sobriety
in abstinence from alcohol could never be
attained unless there was sobriety and more
quietude in the false motivation that
underlay our drinking.
When the Twelve Steps were cast up - without
any real experience and therefore under some
Guidance, surely - we were given keys to
sobriety in its wider implications. We have
been blessed with a concrete definition of
purpose but, for all its concreteness, we
could still abuse it and misuse it in a very
natural way.
Some times we begin to think that perhaps,
according to Scriptural promise, the first
shall be last and the last - meaning us -
shall really be first. That would indeed be
a very dangerous presumption and never
should we indulge it. If we do, we shall
compete in history with other societies who
have been ill-advised enough to suppose that
they had a monopoly on truth or were in some
way superior to other attempts of men to
think and to associate in love and in
harmony.
We may look out upon our destiny with no
violation of our principle that we are to
live one day at a time. We mean that,
emotionally, each in his personal life is
never to repine upon the past glory too
much, in the present, or presume upon the
future. We shall attend to the day's
business but we shall try to apprehend ever
more truth from the lessons of our history,
not the lessons of our successes but the
lessons of our defections, failures and the
awful emotions that can set us loose upon
us. For these, indeed, are the raw materials
that God has used to forge this still rather
little instrument called Alcoholics
Anonymous. So we may look at destiny and we
may ask ourselves about it and speculate
upon it a little - if we do not presume to
play God. (G.S.C., 1961)
