“[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)
“Natural abilities
are like natural plants,
that need pruning by study.”
– Sir Francis Bacon (1561 – 1621) British philosopher
Today’s SFZ
"The easiest thing of all is to deceive one's self; for what a man wish- es he generally be- lieves to be true." - Demosthenes (384 BC - 322 BC) Greek orator / politician WITHOUT SELF-EXAMINATION OUR SPIRITUAL TOOLBOX EMPTIES - "When we for- get where our real strength lies, we quick- ly become subject to the same patterns of thinking and action that got us to the program in the first place." (The Basic Text,p. 48) DOWN THE SLIPPERY SLOPE WHERE DESIRE = TRUTH - "It is easy to let up on the spir- itual program of ac- tion…
STEP TEN –
“We continued to take personal inventory
and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.”