I dunno . . . I intuit that most people have a pretty good idea of right and wrong baked into their DNA. I'm sure that some of this is socialized into us but I'm convinced we know what good behavior is and what it isn't. "Don't be an asshole,", right?
A line from the 12 & 12 that has always stuck with me: "Prudence is a virtue that carries a high rating." How about the virtues of faith, hope, love, justice, solidarity, temperance, courage, and practical wisdom. That's from the Catholic Church. Nothing the matter with that stuff.
Here's another: "Going it alone in spiritual matters is dangerous." Sheesh, the crap that comes out of my self-righteous mind. It's embarrassing to share this crap sometimes. I insist on sharing this crap with other people, though, for my own peace of mind.
The Buddhist dude: "These reactions (namely, disappointment and frustration) arise out of your own inability to get what you want, your fear of losing what you have already gained, and your habit of never being satisfied with what you have." Step Seven in the 12 & 12: "The chief activator of our defects has been self-centered fear - primarily fear that we would lose something we already possessed, or would fail to get something we demanded." Lockstep thinking from a Western mid-twentieth century spiritual movement and a far older moral philosophy that has its roots deep into the Far East. Total agreement, as far as I can see.
Cherokees again: "There is a time to be bold but it takes wisdom to know when it is. If something is worth having, it is worth waiting for, worth working toward. But the fear of losing something before we have had a chance to make it our own can stir us to take risks that are unwise." Is this or is this not just another interpretation of A.A.'s beloved Serenity Prayer which, of course, was penned by Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr, a Christian theological ethicist long before Bill W and Dr. Bob knew each other.
It's all the same stuff. Nobody is coming up with anything new.
No comments:
Post a Comment