August 9, 2022
I was preparing for my trip to Columbus for the 2022 Ohio State AA General Service Convention when I received a call from a friend who has been newly sober just a few short months after a relapse looking for some adventure either at the Rule 62 Conference or the Ohio State Convention. As I was feeling a bit blue over a spate of treatment-center sponsees ghosting me, I felt this was a good opportunity to be of service to an alcoholic and offered to take him to the Convention with me even though it interfered with my plans with my wife. He accepted my offer for the trip to the somewhat more serious service-oriented convention, perhaps because it was his only option.
I wondered if it was not a coincidence that the Rule 62 Conference was on the same weekend as the State Convention. Afterall, Rule 62 from p. 149, in the Tradition Four chapter of the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions is “don’t take yourself too damn seriously,” and I do hear some of my friends in meetings complaining about the arguing over money and other seeming trivialities at Intergroup and Area meetings. Ego is in play and fear is raised in both the people who are arguing and these observing friends. It is a natural and necessary growth opportunity for those of us who love AA and want to see it succeed by getting involved in the group conscience, but can it be minimized? Can we be guided through the thorny undergrowth and get to the promised land of joy and contentment (“happy destiny”) for all those who suffer from alcoholism?
The conference had a mix of leads and panel discussions on topics related to Unity, Recovery, and Service in addition to a talk from the East Central Region Trustee, Cathy C. who told us about what it was like serving on the General Service Board (GSB) and gave us some insights into what is happening at the General Service Office (GSO) in New York. One important point was that the cost of publishing is going up as inflation is impacting everybody worldwide. There is a forecast shortfall in the budget at AAWS because of this. There are some ideas from the publishing staff about reducing costs by using different paper in the Big Book or getting rid of the dust jacket. The cost of the book could be increased, also. It was suggested by an audience member that we increase our individual and group contributions to the GSO. This seems like a good idea to me.
The audience and speakers included past Delegates, past Trustees, Area Officers, Standing Committee Chairs, General Service Representatives (GSRs), District Committee Members (DCMs), and, equally if not more importantly, newly sober alcoholics looking for spiritual adventure and fellowship! Our cofounder Bill W. was not worried about the heat of argument. In a speech to the General Service Conference in 1958 he said, “I submit that if this Conference was ruffled, if individuals were deeply disturbed (one guy said his ulcer’s got going again), I say that is fine. Because what democracy, what republic has not been disturbed? Friction is the modus operandi on which they proceed. Of what should we be afraid of here?” [Our Great Responsibility p. 130.]
It was inspiring to hear from panelists who related the spiritual essence of their recovery to their draw to service and to the fruits of their service. A common refrain of the panelists was the duty, or perhaps compulsion, to say yes when asked to serve even though they do not want to do it, because AA needs us, and we need AA.
It was good for me to hear a panelist say, “when I complain, I separate myself.” It reminds me that when I sponsor or when I serve AA more generally, I need to be aware of what I say and how I act. I can separate myself or drive people away. One of the highlights of the panel discussions for me was hearing the story of one Hospitality Committee Chairperson making fun of herself with her impulse to control when she was engaging volunteer help in making sandwiches for an event. The help was just not getting the exact procedure to make the sandwiches the way our protagonist specified to optimize flavor and economically balance the ingredients. They were doing their own thing, God forbid! But our protagonist fought the fear and the impulse to control and was surprised to hear that those errant sandwiches were very well received. By biting her tongue and letting her sandwich chef colleagues engage their own creativity, she got the job done to everyone’s satisfaction. By the way, I thought you all should taste my sandwiches! But you won’t unless I step up to join the Hospitality Committee. This is a case where ego can inspire service. As the Seventh Step Prayer says, “My Creator, I’m now willing that you have all of me, good and bad….” Why would God have created me the way I am with good and bad?
One panelist used starting a fire as a metaphor for inspiring people to service. A fire comes from fuel and friction. Rubbing two sticks together provides the spark. Indeed, friction can inspire service and as Bill W. noted is sometimes necessary, but any child with a magnifying glass in the sun can attest that these, too, start fires. Light is an age-old metaphor for spiritual enlightenment and Truth. In this case literature may be the magnifying glass combined with the sun light of our spiritual practice in Unity, Recovery and Service that also starts the fire for service. Ultimately, we are concentrating Love by performing action that helps the suffering alcoholics when we engage in service.
Later during a break, playing devil’s advocate I asked a group of friends, why do we need more participation? Isn’t the paltry participation we are seeing nowadays at Area meetings enough? In the ensuing discussion, I heard that we need a vital relationship between the groups and “New York” so that they can be guided by us, and we can learn what is developing in the wider AA community. The General Service Office and the Board of Trustees are people who devote their lives or careers to understanding what we need and implementing it. They collect information filtered down from many millions of alcoholics and use that to give us literature and services we need to survive as an institution, such as it is, and to survive as individual alcoholics, many with a predilection for self-destruction. The Area Delegates and other Area servants are responsible for relating this life-giving information to the professional servants. They need our help. In this discussion sparked by my frictional questions, a past Trustee, said we need a unified literature to survive. What would happen if we had multiple versions of the steps or Big Book? Would this lead to schisms?
Our service structure, with the GSRs, the DCMs, Standing Committee Members, the Area Officers, the Area Delegate, and the GSB, is what gives us the unified literature that serves alcoholics today and tomorrow. We have this system in place so that we—AA in the largest sense—can agree on what literature and services are needed to help the still suffering alcoholic. As seen in Bill W’s speeches, our governing structure is a democratic anarchy that provides growth opportunity, and when it comes down to it, life for all alcoholics. It works because we as individual alcoholics are ruled by the dual dictatorships of John Barleycorn and God. If we don’t live spiritually according to the will of the God of our understanding, John Barleycorn will surely punish us. See Bill W’s 1955 speech to the General Service Conference p. 186-188 in Our Great Responsibility.
I was cheered to hear from my newly sober traveling companion after the conference on Sunday. He texted me, “Thank you for everything; I had a great time at the conference, and I learned a lot. It got me very interested in the Twelve Traditions again and service work.” He also asked me to help him get a copy of the AA Service Manual, which I did.
During the conference, I met some new people curious about service, and I met some serious people who serve AA because they love AA. They are taking the bit in their teeth and moving forward with whatever spiritual condition and skills they have. They are growing through the experience, and they are learning from literature and tradition to not take themselves “too damn seriously” but seriously enough with some humility. I think I grew just a little by being there and absorbing what I heard. Please join me in service. Get involved and grow and nurture AA and yourself.
Comments to communications@aaarea56.org. Anybody want to help me create flyers to motivate others to get involved? Email me with ideas!
