It doesn’t have to be this way

Page 83 of the AA Big Book, my spiritual Recovery bible, reads:

“So we clean house with the family, asking each morning in meditation that our Creator show us the way of patience, tolerance, kindliness and love.”

And while there are instances, and sometimes days, where I fall miserably short, this way of living has become an integral part of my recovery.

While we can’t actually look into each other’s hearts, we can look into each other’s eyes, read each other’s faces, and listen to each other’s struggles with empathy. And we can be of service to one another.

Being of service and getting out of self is one of the most powerful recovery tools that I have in my box. Having Bipolar Disorder, Alcoholism, and Porn Addiction, my go-to is selfishness and self-centeredness. So thinking of others and doing for others are ideal means to counter that sick and toxic state of being.

Imagine if “love, patience, tolerance, and care” we’re the driving forces of our society. Rather than the often predominant motivators of greed, selfishness, fear, me-first, and anger.

We would all be a lot more mentally healthy and spiritually fit.

And there would be a lot less unnecessary suffering, including the millions of those of us with a mental illness who are treated like dogs. Left to survive on the streets or locked away behind bars.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” -Mahatma Gandhi