Friday, January 1, 2010

Progress, not Perfection?

So I was attending this meeting the other day when someone brought up the idea that profanity had no place in AA meetings.  This person proclaimed her higher power to be God and Jesus Christ, and she felt that any proper Christian should avoid using profanity, or even listening to it, if they are to truely live as God wants them to.
Almost as soon as she said this several other people at the meeting jumped on her claiming that as long as they were staying sober, their use of foul language should be overlooked.  After all, the Big Book even says that "we are not saints."  So minor indiscretions like profanity are unimportant as long as we are working on our sobriety.  Their beef was also that this person who disliked profanity had no place telling them how to speak, and if she didn't like their vocabulary she should attend another meeting.  Naturally as addicts none of likes to be told what we can't do.  When someone tells us not to do something, usually we do it right away to spite them.  That's classic self-will run riot.
Personally, I think both parties to this discussion were wrong.  On the one hand, I agree that none of us has the right to tell someone how to speak or act even in a public place such as an AA meeting.  After all, our program of sobriety is contingent upon placing "principles before personalities."  On the other hand, I certainly think there are more intelligent ways of expressing oneself than using profanity-especially when it offends someone. 
This whole situation actually turned into a good study of steps 4 to 9.  First resentments were created with both sides disagreeing with the other, and one party getting up and leaving the meeting when her position wasn't respected.  Then this was followed by the profane people realizing they had actually harmed this person, and finally both sides ended up making amends to the other later in the week both publicly and in private.
Personally, I have been known to drop an "F-bomb" here and there, but I believe that part of my spiritual growth includes not offending anymore people with my actions-God knows I have enough amends to make already.  Is it my position to tell people how to speak in meetings?  It certainly isn't, but I don't see any problem reminding them that addicts are generally more intelligent people.  So let's act like it.
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Related Links:
http://www.aaboston.org/friendly_reminder.asp

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