Spirituality

Spirituality

One habit of Bill's is that of not using the same word twice consecutively when another word meaning the same thing can be used in its place. A good example of this is in the sixth and seventh steps concerning the words "defects of character" and "shortcomings." We know that Bill meant these two phrases to mean the same thing because we have personal reports from people who asked him that specific question. Bill said that his high school English teacher taught him not to use the same word twice in a row when a suitable word could be substituted the second time. With this in mind let's take a look at the paragraph in question. It reads in part: Resentment is the "number one" offender. It (resentments) destroys more alcoholics than anything else. From it (resentments) stem all forms of spiritual disease,(resentments =spiritual disease) for we have been not only mentally and physically ill, we have been spiritually sick. (or resentful) When the spiritual malady (spiritual disease or resentment) is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically. In dealing with resentments we set them on paper.

Bill says we are spiritually sick because we are resentful at our fellowman or the institutions in our society. It follows that when we are free of resentments we will be spiritually well. We must include the idea that we must also be free of fear to have had our spiritual experience but Bill deals with these things in sequence and fear is on the very next page where he gives us an outline of what an inventory looks like.

Since we are talking about spirituality, the type of experience we have in going from point A of being spiritually sick to point B of being spiritually well is experiential in nature. We have had a spiritual experience.

Spirituality
Bill is about to show us how to deal with resentments on a permanent basis -- steps four through nine. So Bill is saying; the process of taking stock of my resentments and getting rid of them by talking about them with another human being, asking for God to remove them and making amends, is the process of becoming a spiritual being. (steps 4-9)

Now I do not have to worry about what I have to do to attain spirituality or to have a spiritual experience. As soon as I do steps 4-9 sufficient to be relieved of my resentments and fears--that is have a change of personality--then I have had a spiritual experience and am a spiritual man.

Perhaps even more remarkable is the idea that I can become a spiritual being largely by taking concrete, observable and measurable actions. Where once I could only hope and pray for this indefinable attribute to be instilled in my life now I can actively participate in its birth by taking actions. These are the action steps of Alcoholics Anonymous-basically steps 4 through 9.

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