Tradition Ten in Real Life

I was handed the book used by the meeting leader to talk for a minute and suggest a topic this morning.  I'm OK with that.  I like to talk and I really like to talk about myself and I love pushing the boundaries with my behavior and my speech just right up to the edge of what's appropriate in a meeting.  I'm not sure that everyone is happy that I do this but it amuses me and amusing myself has been my full-time job for quite some time now.

As I turned to accept the book saw a woman wearing a distinctive cap advertising a polarizing political figure.  It isn't written in black and white what my duty is or what responsibility I have to a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous.  It isn't specifically spelled out anywhere in the literature.  I do know that Tradition Ten tells us to keep politics, movements, philosophies, religion and any controversial societal issues out of our groups.  "Outside Issues," Bill and Bob called them.  As I understand it there were a number of controversies that threatened to tear The Fellowship apart in the early days and the Traditions were born out of this chaos.  They aren't there just to complicate things.

I walked across the room and mentioned this to Tom, one of the other long-timers who attends the meeting regularly because I was not going to let this pass.  I hope that those of us who are the trusted carriers of the principles of A.A. can juggle the responsibility of helping keep a group free of controversy while acting in a kind and gentle manner.  I know this woman.  She's sober six months, she has a lot going on in her personal life, she's a very nice person, and I can say this with foreknowledge of her political views which, it goes without saying, are repellant to me.  But, really, it was any political clothing that I objected to.  Most of us have trouble getting sober in a bland and anodyne environment.  Can you imagine how many people would turn around and walk right back out of The Rooms if, at their first meeting, everyone showed up in T-shirts advertising a political candidate that one didn't like?

I said to Tom: "Are you going to say something or should I?"

A well-established female member overheard us and offered to help.  She went to the cap lady and spoke with her privately.  I could see the conversation was going well, so I relaxed.  I'm grateful for the intervention of my A.A. sister because I think the message was probably better received coming from a woman than a forceful male blowhard like me.

At one point I called on cap lady to imply: "No hard feelings, right?"  She apologized.  I'm friends with cap lady so I texted with her a bit this morning to make sure she understood the intent behind our actions.  I think she's cool with it.  I'm not obsessed with whether or not she's cool with it.  Groups can do whatever they want as long as it doesn't affect A.A. as a whole and I know when I was getting started I was trying my damnedest to stay sober, not pick up the intricacies of The Fellowship as a whole.