Our Sole Purpose :)

I really like this idea that suffering makes us human.  Going through difficulties and transcending them, either by taking the action to change the situation or learning to accept the circumstances as they are, to the best of our ability, fits us to be of service to other people.  My first sponsor in Indianapolis - a kind, generous, spiritual man who helped me immensely - drove a big, white Cadillac.  I found myself discounting his advice on the sole basis of this car.  This was unreasonable but understandable - I couldn't always see how he could identify with my much more ordinary life.  I had other ne'er-do-wells to commiserate with and leaned on him as a man who had worked through The Steps and could give me advice on the best way to do that.  He wasn't my Go To guy when it came to thriving while enduring the trials and travails of a more hard-scrabble existence.

We all remember that sense of belonging that came when talking to someone who had lived through similar life circumstances.  Sometimes my sponsor seemed to be passing along book knowledge and not lived knowledge.  I find I need both.  When I'm talking with an A.A., sharing my problems or listening to theirs, I might suggest different courses of action and I might relate how I behaved in a similar situation and I often refer to specific passages in the books that seem applicable before throwing up my hands, metaphorically, and saying: "Wow, you're taking a lot of good action - you're really going to be able to help someone some day."

I say again: Your sole purpose in life may be to serve as a warning for others.