Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Fear + Courage = Faith

When our failings generate fear, we then have soul-sickness. This sickness, in turn, generates still more character defects.

Unreasonable fear that our instincts will not be satisfied drives us to covet the possessions of others, to lust for sex and power, to become angry when our instinctive demands are threatened, to be envious when the amibitons of others seem to be realized while ours are not. We eat, drink and grab for more of everything than we need, fearing we shall never have enough. And, with genuine alarm at the prospect of work, we stay lazy. We loaf and procrastinate, or at best work grudgingly and under half steam.

These fears are the termites that ceaselessly devour the foundations of whatever sort of life we try to build.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, Page 49

As faith grows, so does inner security. The vast underlying fear of nothingness commences to subside. We of A.A. find that our basic antidote for fear is a spiritual awakening.
A.A. GRAPEVINE, January 1962

8 comments:

JJ said...

I'm not grabbing at anything. I'm throwing "STUFF" away. The simple life for me my friend. Just wanted to stop in say "HI" and tell you that you are harder to buy for than I first thought. lol.
Peace and love,
JJ

Scott W said...

Oh, JJ, just send him some porn!

RE: this post. Did you wake up reading my mind?

JJ said...

LMAO @ Scott's comment. I am going to P-Town on the 13th and was thinking (well it is the gay capital of mass) that would pick up something wild and crazy down there.
hehehehe
Love ya,
JJ

Anonymous said...

All I can say is... er..um.. fear, yea... ok I guess I don't have anything to say. Except that I am right there with you on that one. You said it wonderfully and all I can do is agree with you, thanks :)

Anonymous said...

I think the porn-thing threw me off, LOL

:D

BarbaraFromCalifornia said...

Scott and I were both talkingn about fear this morning.

For me, it is usally because I am not trusting in the higher power. I still am hanging on by my own nails, and not truly surrendering.

By the way, only a truly honest man, like yourself, would admit to having an average penis. This is true progress, although I can understand you wanting the 12 inch version of perfection.

Be well.

Anonymous said...

I don't understand your friends' comments. What porn? what 12 " penis? I feel left out. QN

Scott W said...

I needed a late night laugh, thanks guys!!!