aa friends Community Group
Welcome. If you come to visit for the first time and have some questions feel free to ask. PM someone if you like but don't stay a stranger. We were all in the pit. We know a way out. No condemnation and no hammers. Just ask and prepare to make a load of friends.
Self importance is our greatest enemy. Think about it - what weakens us is feeling offended by the deeds and misdeeds of our fellowmen. Our self importance requires that we spend most of our lives offended by someone.
--Carlos Castaneda
Were we offended by someone yesterday? Do we harbor resentment for remarks, oversights, or unpleasant mannerisms? Do we feel tense or uneasy about how someone else has treated us? We can probably make a good case to justify our reactions. Perhaps we are in the right and they are in the wrong.
Yet, even if we are justified, it doesn't matter. We may be puffing ourselves up and wasting energy. When we are oversensitive, we take a self-righteous position which leads us far from our path of spiritual awakening. Our strength is diminished.
How much better it is to let go of the lightness, let go of our grandiosity, and accept the imperfections in others. We need to accept our own imperfections too. When we do, we are better for it, and our strength and energy can be focused on richer goals.
I will accept others' imperfections; I do not need to be right.
--Carlos Castaneda
Were we offended by someone yesterday? Do we harbor resentment for remarks, oversights, or unpleasant mannerisms? Do we feel tense or uneasy about how someone else has treated us? We can probably make a good case to justify our reactions. Perhaps we are in the right and they are in the wrong.
Yet, even if we are justified, it doesn't matter. We may be puffing ourselves up and wasting energy. When we are oversensitive, we take a self-righteous position which leads us far from our path of spiritual awakening. Our strength is diminished.
How much better it is to let go of the lightness, let go of our grandiosity, and accept the imperfections in others. We need to accept our own imperfections too. When we do, we are better for it, and our strength and energy can be focused on richer goals.
I will accept others' imperfections; I do not need to be right.
"We exaggerate our own importance at the expense of others. Overestimate our abilities, intelligence and our judgement. By referring everything to himself, the alcoholic seems to be unaware of the needs and feelings of other people." and
"A rigidly judgmental outlook accompanies grandiose behaviour. 'Judgmental' means that the alcoholic is prone to make value judgments, inappropriate evaluations, usually in terms of 'goodness ' and 'badness'. Since he's inclined to judge himself rather harshly in regard to his behaviour, it is not unusual for others to detect in him deep feelings of unworthiness. But he can superficially disguise these feelings by submitting people around him to the same rigid system of evaluation that he applys to himself. His attitude is basically unrealistic, whether or not his judgment reflects some degree of truth."
And that's not confined to the alcoholic. Pretty interesting stuff. I can relate to this. :}
The concept of Grandiosity is a topic that I have been trying to grasp for about 10 years. The above description of Grandiose Behavior, fits me to a T. That description of an alcoholic~ "An ego maniac with an inferiority complex"~Also fits me. The steps offer a solution to this problem, which is why I am working them again.