Post by ron on Sept 24, 2015 7:14:13 GMT -5
“An unexamined life is not worth living.” —Socrates
I’ve been aware of the above quote since my early teens. It took Steps 4 and 5 of AA’s Twelve Steps to show me just what Socrates meant. Together, those two steps are a stumbling block for many of us new to the program. They were for me for a long time. Yet Steps 4 and 5 were the key that opened up the first three steps for me. I thought I had Step 1 wrapped up, and after much soul-searching I put Steps 2 and 3 on hold due to the “gift of desperation.” I just plowed ahead into Step 4.
Step 4 is about discovering what there is in our make-up that is blocking us from a power that we all have within us, shading us from the sunshine of the spirit. In the words of the book Alcoholics Anonymous, “…it [our decision in Step 3, which I hadn't made] could have little effect unless at once followed by a strenuous effort to face, and be rid of, the things in ourselves which had been blocking us. Our liquor was but a symptom. So we had to get down to causes and conditions.”
Once we identify these things, then we can face up to them, own them, and let them go. We can’t let go of what we don’t know we have, nor can we give up what we do not own. The founders used several terms for what we’re trying to identify, such as ‘faults,’ ‘defects of character,’ ‘shortcomings,’ ‘flaws in our make-up.’ I suggest picking a term you are comfortable with and forget about the those that may cause misgivings. "A rose is a rose is a rose"*, after all.
The step itself tells us it is to be a searching and fearless inventory. A little later in the book, on page 65, they say “We went back through our lives. Nothing counted but thoroughness and honesty.” I like to throw in ‘rigorous’ from page 58 and say that this needs to be a searching, fearless, thorough, and rigorously honest inventory. As to how far back we need to go, I suggest as far back as we have memories of anger and resentment, early childhood for a lot of us.
When the inventory is made according to the instructions in the book, we begin to see patterns in our thoughts and reactions. This, in turn, allows us to go beyond the surface and get to the root of any problem we may find. We come to understand our part in the conflicts of our lives, and how to “disconnect the buttons” that turn on our anger and other negative feelings. We discover ideas and behaviors that need to be unlearned, such as defense mechanisms that may have served us well in the past but are now counterproductive. We begin to reconnect with our true values, our true self. We begin to understand our interconnectedness with the human family, and gain self-respect, compassion, and serenity.
All it takes for us to get there is a willingness to be honest and thorough. What a bargain!
“Without a willing and persistent effort to do this, there can be little sobriety or contentment for us.” Bill W.
*– Gertrude Stein