Step Six Step Six Step Six

Were entirely ready to have god remove all of these defects of character.  (Ed. Note: This is not a direct Seaweed quote.  Really.   No shit.  Google it up.  Just trying to be honest here).

Ready:  Prepared for immediate action or use.
All:    Every individual or anything of the given class, with no exceptions.

We read Step Six this morning, one of the throw-away steps.  I make this judgment because the topic is covered so scantily in the Main Book it must not be that important.  Right?  Right?

I have a tendency to re-imagine this Step as: "Demanded that god immediately remove every single defect of character that I'm ready to have removed."  This is why I'm not a consultant for The Fellowship.  I don't get what we're trying to do from time to time.  The Willingness Step tells me that I need to prepare myself, as best as I can, by working the inventory process, to be in a position where my higher power can remove whichever of my defects of character that he sees fit to remove, at a time and place of his choosing with absolutely no input from me whatsoever.  

I found that some came right out; others have lingered like a bad chest cold; and a few have hung in there like grim death.  There is a general consensus that this is as it should be, that we're looking to achieve a perfect ideal with the realization that we're always going to be a work in progress.  In addition, many of us believe that it's only by grappling with these defects can we grow spiritually; as in, "pray for patience and god puts you in long lines."

I also believe that every single one of my defects of character is latent in my body, ready to burst out, fully formed and malevolent as ever, at the slightest provocation.  It has only been by sustained effort and repeated practice that I've been able to put these wild beasts into strong cages, so to speak.  I know they cause a ton of damage and make me feel bad about myself, that it's in my best interest to keep 'em tied down, yet from time to time I walk over, put the key in the padlock, and set 'em rambling.

Work in progress.