“Grandfather says…you must not hurt anybody or do harm to anyone. You must not fight. Do right always. It will give you satisfaction in life.” -Wovoka, PAIUTE
“In service, we listen well by listening for common ground rather than for ways to prove that our idea is better.” -Guiding Principles, Tradition Four, “In Service”
The question one should ask themselves is: Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy? If you want to be right, this is a request from your ego. If you want to be happy then this is of the Great Spirit. The only meaning anything has is the meaning we give it. Maybe we should develop a philosophy of: Today is the last day of the rest of my life. If this were true, how easy it would be to let things go - how easy it would be to forgive.
N.A. offers plenty of opportunities for us to learn how to do a better job of living in the world. While very few of us show up to N.A. with the credentials of “great listener,” sitting through recovery meetings can teach us much about making an effort to truly understand what others are saying. The listening skills we hone in recovery meetings are quite useful in N.A. service, too. Self-centeredness might cause us to put the responsibility for good communication on others: If they would just be clearer, we wouldn’t have to listen so carefully. As we learn in meetings, with our sponsors, calling other addicts–communication is a two-way street, and we’re much better off when we work on our side, rather than insisting on improvements across the way.
In service, I will listen for common ground with patience and gratitude, understanding that true satisfaction in life comes from doing right and seeking unity rather than proving superiority.”