Alcoholics Anonymous Blog/Video Sept 11 DonInLondon Step 9 " Amends Into Action"
September 11, 2013: "pundits, professionals, stakeholders, media reporters, reports from the masses and of course globally the politicians." The flow of information, finding out what the truth may be is difficult in this transition towards transparency and truth. And of course when it comes to big events in the world, beware the purveyors of the selective truth, those who do it intentionally, "tell lies." And the purveyors of the selective ideology, "tell lies." And the pundits, who may be highly qualified, are still lagging behind the big picture and locked in their own outlook, "misguided purveyors of refined selective truths, "unintentional lies." If somebody has a drum to bang, you can't help hearing the banging.
An amend to the American people, "listening to the will of the people." Amongst all the noise and speculation, a sensible person listens to their constituency. A sensible person consults and finds out where support and truth can be found. And even when the truth is found, it may be contrary and frustrating to adjust intentions and change actions. When a president or leader consults and listens, continues to share truthful information, takes a pause and opens the door to diplomacy, it is not for the media all the pundits or ideologues to undermine a sensible move forward. At the same time, all efforts in other directions to stop crimes against humanity is happening.
This morning I feel relieved to listen to the commander-in-chief of another country share the truth as he sees it. And nothing is lost at this stage on the particular issue raised and shared eloquently. It does not change the horror of what is going on, and it does not undermine what other nations are trying to do to help those who are suffering as a consequence of civil war in Syria. At the same time, listening to the reporting and old thinking of media hacks is very troubling. An American president with common sense and gumption, talking to and sharing with Americans and the international community who also have common sense and gumption is a most welcome moment. And utilising the efforts and intentions of other powerful nation's to help resolve what happens next and the actions to follow is as good as it gets in this moment of now. Truth, finding the truth is a continuous process opening the door to everyone and not slamming it shut when the world is participating and trying to do its best in the worst of circumstances.
In recovery from one affliction, every day I have gratitude and seek to make the best use of my time and be happy in my own life. The one amend which counts more than anything is the ability to keep a level head when everyone around may be finding extreme positions suggesting extreme actions need follow immediately. Sometimes a race to action is certainly the right way forward. A race to action on one's own when it affects great numbers of people is not necessarily a good idea if those involved are not included in the decision-making process. A child, a young person, a maturing person and a mature adult still needs inclusion in a decision-making process when the outcome is going to affect more people. A young society, a maturing society and mature societies still need to include dialogue and discussion to get to an agreement. How else do we ever get to the truth? Second-guessing the truth seems to be a bit of a sport these days rather than actually reporting the truth today.
To thine own self be true, now that is hard enough for any single human being. And yet we all value truth as a virtue in ourselves, something we aspire to, something we've made progress towards and continue to do so on a daily basis. Of course the truth is developing with every moment that passes. The old model of Communism versus Capitalism, the old model politics, the new politics and the new economics are not well understood by the more mature, the less mature and the young. Every day is a new world and the truth keeps changing. United efforts, agreements and treaties can become more meaningful in a transparent world, with transparent living and more transparent understanding of what can be done and what cannot be done. The world can learn wisdom just as I can one day at a time. We do not imbue superhuman qualities to our leadership any more, they may lead if we are willing to follow. There is no room for arrogance and ego in politics, politicians do not know better than us, they represent us and not an ideology if they are sensible and not stupid.
Thank God for recovery one day at a time, learning to live in an open, honest and willing way. To thine own self be true, and fear not? Every day there will be a little bit of fear, because we can be assured there is a madman out there somewhere with a gun. And that remains true as individuals, families, communities, societies and international situations as they are today. We need to be sensible, careful and understanding of the current conditions today, what is safe and what is dangerous. Nature provides enough danger, and sometimes humans make it impossible to live in peace. As the world becomes more transparent, peace and conflict become more obvious and the truth prevails eventually. And we cannot make people grow up and be like us. As individuals we learn each day and so do nations.
The more we share, the more accountability and responsibility is shouldered by inclusion, the risk of exclusion and conflict is reduced. That is of course if we were dealing with rational and sane people. And as we know sanity and being restored to sanity is a daily occurrence at the individual level let alone at the National and international level. So I guess, as individuals, to thine own self be true is the best course of action and keep on sharing the truth as we see it, and if we are incorrect and need modify our outlook to the truth rather than a belief or opinion it too can be done, one day at a time. By anyone, anywhere open, honest and willing to change.
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