“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.” – Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121 AD – 180 AD) aka Mark Anthony – Emperor of Rome (re: fears)
“Honesty is
the cruelest game
of all, because not
only can you hurt some-
one – and hurt them to the
bone – you can feel self-
righteous about it at
the same time.”
– Dave Van Ronk (1936 – 2002) U.S.
folk musician
THE SECRET TO MAKING A HABIT OF IT – “Continuing to take a personal inventory means that we form a habit of looking at ourselves, our actions, attitudes and relationships on a regular basis. We are creatures of habit and are vulnerable to our old ways of thinking and reacting.” (The Basic Text, p.42)
NOW, ONENESS SLOWLY BEGINS TO TAKE HOLD –
“Many of us were
suspicious … .” “Ag-
nostics and atheists
sometimes start by just
talking to ‘whatever’s there.’
There is a spirit or an en-
ergy that can be felt in the
meetings. This is some-
times the newcomer’s
first concept of an
H. P. (The Basic
Text, p. 94 )
“[Siddartha] reflected deeply, until this feeling completely overwhelmed him and … he recognized causes; for to recognize causes … is to think, and through thought, alone feelings become knowledge and are not lost, but become real and begin to mature.”
– Hermann Hesse (1877 – 1962) German Buddhist Philosopher
“Vulgarity is vulgarity. And if you mean to demean a person; that makes him or her less than whole … it means this person is not worth my concern.”
Maya Angelou (1928 – ) renowned African- American poet (on Intolerance)
“Show up, dive in,
stay at it. Sometimes
you’ll win, sometimes
you’ll lose. Presuming a
reservoir of goodness, that
can be a risk.” “[M]ore of-
ten than not, your faith in
America and in Ameri-
cans will be con-
firmed.”
U.S. President Barack Obama (1961 – ) Farewell Address 1/10/17
(on being a Champion)
NURSE, STETHOSCOPE PLEASE –
“Self-examination … and owning up to our wrongs are critical elements of conducting our lives on a spiritual basis. By working the Tenth Step, we become more aware of our emotions, our mental state, and our spiritual condition.” (It Works, How & Why, p. 69)
A CHAMPION DISCARDS YESTERDAY’S BAGGAGE –
“For the wise have always known that no one can make much of his life until self-searching becomes a regular habit, until he is able to admit and accept what he finds, and until he patiently and persistently tries to correct what is wrong.” (12 & 12, p. 88)
“I think self-
awareness is pro-
bably the most impor-
tant thing towards be-
ing a champion.”
– Billie Jean King (1948 – ) U.S. tennis champ
The 12 Universal Laws Meditation (8:40)
A BIT COUNTER-INTUITIVE –
“It is a spiritual axiom
that every time we are
disturbed, no matter what
the cause, there is something
wrong with us. If somebody
hurts us and we are sore,
we are in the wrong
also.” (12 & 12,
p. 90)
“THRU RAIN, HAIL, SLEET, OR SNOW” – “As we work the first nine Steps, we prepare ourselves for the adventure of a new life. But when we approach Step Ten we commence to put our … [new] way of living to practical use, day by day, in fair weather or foul. Then comes the acid test: can we … live to good purpose under all conditions?” (12 & 12, p. 88)