“Faith which does
not doubt is dead faith.”
– Miguel de Unamuno (1864 – 1936)
Spanish philosopher
“Faith which does
not doubt is dead faith.”
– Miguel de Unamuno (1864 – 1936)
Spanish philosopher
“There is but
one cause of hu-
man failure. And that
is man’s lack of faith
in his true Self.”
– William James (1842 – 1910) U.S. psychologist &
key contributor to the 12 Steps
How does believing in your true self help you with making mistakes or hitting hard times lately?
“The human
body is vapor
materialized by sun
shine mixed with
the life of the
stars.” Paracelsus (1493 – 1541) Renaissance Swiss German founder of toxicology on spiritual gifts
MOTHER’S DAY WARMTH OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE IS FOR ALL –
“Those who don’t
get unconditional love
from their families need
to find it someplace else,
and one of the ways this
can take place is through
Twelve Step programs,
sponsors, therapists
[ect].” (Sexual Ano-
rexia, p. 167)
“How shall our unconscious – from which so many of our fears, compulsions and phony aspirations still stream – be brought into line with what we actually believe, know and want! How to convince our dumb, raging and hidden ‘Mr. Hyde’ becomes our main task.” (The Best of Bill pp. 42-43)
“The hidden child wants to be able to participate and to co-create in art, rather than being simply an admiring viewer.”- Christian Morgenstern (1871 – 1914) German poet / author
“The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” – William Faulkner (1897 – 1962) U.S. novelist on learning to breathe
“Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true.” – Gautam Buddha (563-483 B.C.), Hindu Prince and founder of Buddhism on beliefs
“Among individuals as among nations, the respect for other people’s rights is peace.” – Pres. Benito Juarez (Mexican President (1861-72), 1806-1972) on the meaning of heart
OR
An Analogy of: In Honor of Cinco De Mayo as We Set Fear Free from the Deepest Chambers of Our Heart
Today’s SFZ calls for a fearless embrace of peace and healing, fitting for a Cinco de Mayo reflection. It highlights a spiritual journey rooted in surrender, vulnerability, and action.
In Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (12 & 12), the emphasis is on ceasing internal conflict to access deeper awareness. Carl Rogers, the humanistic psychologist, agrees. He argued that acceptance of experience is essential for personal growth. By “stopping the fight,” individuals open themselves to genuine feeling and healing.
Similarly, It Works: How and Why stresses living proof over internal struggle. Viktor Frankl, the Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist, supported this view. In Man’s Search for Meaning, he wrote that survival depends not on fighting despair but on finding meaning beyond it. Allowing a “higher power” to guide us reflects Frankl’s idea of transcendent purpose.
Benito Juárez’s quote reminds us that respect is foundational to peace. His words echo political theorist Hannah Arendt, who wrote that peace among people is impossible without mutual recognition. Juárez and Arendt share a vision where peace is active respect, not passive tolerance.
The call to “Make Love, Not War” ties all these ideas together. Martin Luther King Jr. also insisted that peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of justice and love. Fear is not conquered by violence but by courageous vulnerability.
In shedding fear and embracing respect, we create lasting peace within and among us. This transformation begins by standing still, listening, and letting love replace the need to fight.