On Sunday morning – the last
day of the [1950 International] Convention – I found those Twelve Traditions
still on my mind. Each of them I saw is an exercise in humility that can guard
us in everyday A.A. affairs and protect us from ourselves. If A.A. were really
guided by the Twelve Traditions, we could not possibly be split apart by
politics, religion, money, or by any old-timers who might take a notion to be
big shots.
With none of us throwing our weight around in public, nobody could
possibly exploit A.A. for personal advantage, that is sure. For the first time I
saw A.A.’s anonymity for what it really is. It isn't just something to save
us from alcoholic shame and stigma; its deeper purpose is actually to keep those
fool egos of ours from running hog wild after money and public fame at A.A.'s
expense.
It really means personal and group sacrifice for the benefit of all A.A.
Right then I resolved to learn our Twelve Traditions by heart, just as I had
learned the Twelve Steps. If every A.A. did the same thing and really soaked up
these principles we drunks could hang together forever.
From: "When A.A. Came of Age"
1985 AAWS, Inc.
Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, page 43
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