"Ordinarily, everything we do is in our self-interest. Everything."
-- Anthony de Mello
"Remember, most of the things you think you need are ego trips designed to bolster your image and your perception of security.... You'll waste a lot of energy satisfying your ego only to find that, as soon as it's got what it wants, it ignores all your efforts and promptly nails another list of demands to your forehead. The ego will always try to force you to slave for its vision. I wouldn't stand for that BS if I were you."
-- Stuart Wilde
"We have no need to teach pure motives to the mind. All that is necessary to make the mind pure is to undo the negative conditioning to which it has been subjected; then we will be left with pure, unconditioned awareness."
-- Eknath Easwaran
In staying sober, we DO have to act in our own self-interest. Without selfishness in this area, we kiss everything else goodbye. The basis for AA is not only to "stay sober", though. It is for us to reach out to the alcoholic who still suffers. That is the only way we can keep our sobriety. So here's the catch in the above statement regarding self interest--we reach out to help, and in return we stay sober. Have to give it away to keep it. We're all about service. It's when I quit reaching out, and turn totally inward and obsessed with my own interests, that I enter a danger zone. So we come full circle in giving and receiving. I need to keep the "receiving" in balance with the "giving". For me, that covers everyone's interest, and not just mine. Wren
__________________
"Never argue with an idiot... They'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience..."
Loved reading this, and more than the readings, loved your comments, yep, we have to keep our Sobriety First in Everything, and to do that we Must Give it Away. Not an optional thing here.
So we come full circle in giving and receiving. I need to keep the "receiving" in balance with the "giving".
yup...makes sense to this kid...
I'll give, by taking you and your hubby out to a nice dinner...and receive..by letting you pay the bill....sounds about right.ehhh? ..and have a good night.(smile)
__________________
"LOVE" devoid of self-gratification, is in essence, the will, to the greatest good...of another.
