“But we need not fear that we can lose anything by the progress of the soul. The soul may be trusted to the end.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882) U.S. Poet, Transcendentalist and lecturer on the unknown
“The best victory is when the opponent surrenders of its own accord before there are any actual hostilities … . It is best to win without fighting.”- Sun-tzu (~400 BC) Chinese general & military strategist on how best to achieve a surrender
Today’s SFZ
AND A SIMPLER UNIVERSE WILL UNFOLD – “Our groups work as well as they do because they keep it simple, lest anything get in the way of carrying our message as simply and directly as possible, one addict to another.” (It Works. How & Why p. 139)
NO NEED TO KNOW IT ALL RIGHT NOW – “In realizing that we don’t have all the answers, we begin to find some humility. We may not grasp the full impact of what being humble means, but our open-mindedness assures us that we have found and have begun to demonstrate this valuable quality.” (It Works, How & Why, p. 16)
“… understanding fear; that means, watch it, learn about it, come directly into contact with it. We are to learn about fear, not how to escape from it.” – Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895 – 1986) Indian spiritual author on our fears
“For grace is given not because we have done good works, but in order that we may be able to do them.” St. Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430) Numidian Philosopher
WE ARE FAMILY, SVAHA –
“[In the past] we
may have placed spe
cial requirements on our
friends, coworkers, or family
members.” ” … we’ve learned
that people can differ with us
on important matters and
still be loving, support
ive friends.” (Over
eaters Anon. , p. 134)
“Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.” – Mark Twain (1835 – 1910) U.S., novelist/satirist on survival
WE AVOID MOTTLED POTHOLES THAT CAN NEVER BE FILLED – “[O]ur best thinking and self-will are what brought us to a state of despair and incomprehensible demoralization.” “[B]ecause we had never really taken any action towards realizing our goals, we got loaded and searched for an unfeeling, uncaring oblivion.” (Life w/ Hope, p. 32)
THE ILLUSION OF CONTROL CAN TAKE MANY FORMS – “When we tried to control ourselves, we wound up demoralized. Even when we succeeded, it wasn’t enough to make us happy. We hid from our pain by eating … .” (Overeaters Anon., p. 5)