Must We Forever be, Chained Inextricably, to the Past for all Eternity … “It’s Time to Sing a New Song” – Step 8 begins

Black fists pulling apart the chains from chains from handcuffs

“It’s time for America to sing a new song. Our voices sing a chorus of unity. They sing a song of dignity and opportunity. Are y’all ready to add your voice to the new American song? Because I am. So let’s do this.”  – Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter (1981 – ) singer, songwriter speaking at Kamala Harris 30,000 person Tx rally for the 2024 presidential election

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 – Sign up to Zonr for Today’s Full SFZ

What elements of your own past have weighed you down, lately?

OR

How can you let go of old guilt today so your heart can sing a new song?

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Under the Bridge – Red Hot Chili Peppers (4:06)

Beyoncé – Freedom (Homecoming) [LIVE] (2:10)

English Analysis (249 words)

In Step Eight, recovery invites renewal. The passage asks whether we must remain chained to past harm. Bill Wilson reminds us that humility—not false pride—frees us from guilt (Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, 1953). Humility opens the heart to forgiveness. It invites courage to face old wounds with honesty.

Carl Jung taught that healing begins when we “own our shadow.” Step Eight echoes this truth. By naming those we harmed, we reclaim integrity. False pride resists this process, whispering that bygones should stay buried. Yet, as The Basic Text says, freedom comes through accountability, not denial. “We want to look the world in the eye with neither aggressiveness nor fear” (p. 37).

Beyoncé’s words call us to collective renewal: “It’s time for America to sing a new song.” Like recovery, her anthem urges transformation. Both suggest that freedom is not forgetting but rewriting the melody of life. Chief Phil Lane Jr. of the Wellbriety Movement said, “Healing is the recovery of our sacred song” (Lane, 2012). Through amends, we recover harmony within ourselves and our communities.

Therefore, Step Eight becomes an act of faith in a Higher Power’s guidance. It reminds us that no soul is forever bound to shame. With humility, courage, and love, we begin to sing again—together.


Spanish Translation

Citas de la publicación de Zonr:

Paso 8 comienza
“Hicimos una lista
de todas las personas
a quienes habíamos dañado,
y nos dispusimos
a reparar el daño
a todas ellas.”
(12 y 12, p. 166)

EL DILEMA
“¿Por qué, lloramos,
no dejar el pasado atrás?
¿Por qué tenemos que pensar
en estas personas
en absoluto?”
(12 y 12)

LA SOLUCIÓN
“El Paso Ocho es
la prueba de nuestra nueva
humildad encontrada. Nuestro propósito
es alcanzar la libertad
de la culpa que hemos llevado.
Queremos mirar al mundo
sin agresión
ni miedo.”
(El Texto Básico, p. 37)


Análisis (en español)

En El Paso Ocho, la recuperación invita a la renovación. El pasaje pregunta si debemos seguir atados al daño pasado. Bill Wilson recuerda que la humildad —no el falso orgullo— nos libera de la culpa (Doce Pasos y Doce Tradiciones, 1953). La humildad abre el corazón al perdón y llama al valor para enfrentar viejas heridas con honestidad.

Carl Jung enseñó que la sanación comienza cuando “aceptamos nuestra sombra”. El Paso Ocho refleja esa verdad. Al nombrar a quienes dañamos, recuperamos la integridad. El falso orgullo resiste, susurrando que el pasado debe quedarse enterrado. Sin embargo, como dice El Texto Básico, la libertad llega mediante la responsabilidad, no la negación. “Queremos mirar al mundo sin agresión ni miedo” (p. 37).

Las palabras de Beyoncé nos llaman a una renovación colectiva: “Es hora de que América cante una nueva canción”. Como en la recuperación, su himno impulsa la transformación. Ambos sugieren que la libertad no consiste en olvidar, sino en reescribir la melodía de la vida. El jefe Phil Lane Jr., del Movimiento Wellbriety, dijo: “La sanación es la recuperación de nuestra canción sagrada” (Lane, 2012). A través de la reparación, recuperamos la armonía dentro de nosotros y en nuestras comunidades.

Por lo tanto, el Paso Ocho se convierte en un acto de fe en la guía del Poder Superior. Nos recuerda que ninguna alma está encadenada para siempre a la vergüenza. Con humildad, valor y amor, comenzamos a cantar de nuevo, juntos.

Pregunta: ¿Cómo puedes soltar hoy la vieja culpa para que tu corazón cante una nueva canción?

Zonr pod on bygones

Comments

5 responses to “Must We Forever be, Chained Inextricably, to the Past for all Eternity … “It’s Time to Sing a New Song” – Step 8 begins”

  1. Sabrina J Avatar
    Sabrina J

    What is the weight of the millstone around my neck from past guilt? It is the wait of any resentment that I might carry. In cutting the rope that binds me to the past, the weight is lost and the influence the past has over me fades. The past is forgiveness, it starts with me forgiving my past.

    Thank you for sharing recovery with me. Grateful.

  2. E-Dawg Avatar
    E-Dawg

    Now it’s time to test my new found humility… it’s time to get rid of all that guilt that I’ve carried and look the world in the eye with no fear… so I start making the list, but if I’m not willing it’ll be a waste of time so it’s time to put the pen to paper…

  3. Margot E. Avatar
    Margot E.

    Another scary Step. I remember some of the wreckage I have created…when I begin this list, other instances will come up – instances I have not wanted to think about. Now, with Higher Power standing with me, I can begin the process of letting go. Amends do not include beating myself up. Making amends means taking action and then letting go. Letting go. Learn and move on.

  4. Slim Jim Avatar
    Slim Jim

    I tray and show my gratitude for those in my life but sometimes it cones out wrong.

  5. easy does it Avatar
    easy does it

    Always thinking of how i hurt someone i love greatly snd now wont speak to me. Maybe someday
    i can make amends but still feel …
    Horrible anytime i think of him

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