Alcoholism Support Group
Alcoholism is the continued consumption of alcoholic beverages, even when it is negatively affecting your health, work, relationships and life. If you think alcohol is causing you to lose control, it's time to seek help. Our group is a safe place to vent, check in, get back up if you fall, and reach sobriety.
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.
What I really like about this reading is " wasted energy" is it worth negative energy to get off balance? No. On the other hand if I can do something to help many over someone else actions that is not in the best interest of many I do have a responsibility to step up. I know the last statement doesn't pertain totally to the reading its just what on my mind.
I find it more dificult when hearing about someone else offending a third person..This could be classed as listening to gossip and in an ideal world there would be none but I've not found that world yet. So all though I practice the principle that other people's recovery are not my business It can be dificult not to be offended on another's behalf
Have a great day.
When I first started in AA I had the terms "Ego deflation at depth" and "High Ego Low Self Esteem" stated to me time and time again. At the start, along with a lot of AA style talk, I thought, what the Hell are they on about? But over time I had it explained to me in different ways and of course I could see what they were talking about within myself (and of course that was then a tool for me to judge others about it too).
I'm ten years sober now and I still struggle with it all the time. I still get very confused about the line we cross between seeing these characteristics in others and wanting to veer away from people who exhibit them for my personal emotional safety (I suffer from serious mental illness too so have to be super vigilant about who I hang around with), and taking people's inventory where it is none of my business. I consciously work on that and of course I'll never be perfect - maybe there IS NO perfect answer to it.
But I do find that I increasingly seek out people who are humble, even if I am not yet as humble as I'd like to be.
Having a High Ego and Low Self Esteem is not just the domain of alcoholics - many people have those characteristics. And like me, I can see that if one is puffed up with Ego, without a solid bedrock of Self Esteem, our characters can be so much more brittle, when things go wrong.
I like the example of Paul Newman and Joanna Woodward. They had the world at their feet but seemed to maintain humility when it was such a rare comodity in the people around them - and they did that for their whole lives. Amazing role models.
Wendy
Good post G( Carlos Castanada"s books are pretty trippy )
Billy
Thanks
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.