Traditions War: a pathway to peace
Chapter 20
Pathway to Peace
The truth of our daily recovery
is miraculous in nature. It far outweighs our concerns about NA service politics
and the learning curves others may have before them. We�ve already been
through hell, what�s a little purgatory? There would be no point in writing
this material were it not for our hope that a way be presented that allows NA
members and our friends to discern exactly how we have grown and how we have
dealt successfully with all the real-life problems we have encountered along the
way. While nature allows us to heal, we have the disease of addiction which does
not go away entirely, even in the best recovery. It sleeps, and perhaps while it
sleeps, it dreams. It may dream pleasant scenes or it may make nightmares.
Maintaining our spiritual condition is one way to describe what we do to keep
our sanity and optimistic attitude in mind amid all the concerns of daily life,
including what is being done in our NA name. Surrender, faith, self-examination
lead us into the new life. While we can hope to understand and even sympathize
with the concerns that have led our world service contingents to shut down to a
great degree the open communications we once had between world and our general
membership, it is no great matter to be set straight or restored to some former
condition. No, we have to go on with our lives, our recovery and our service. We
can wish others well we have to keep acting on the impulse to care for others
and help in any way we can.
This writing can catalogue,
sequence and in some cases explain what has happened - it cannot change it. We
are being as through and careful as possible to restrict our statements and
positions to the evidence of minutes, official reports and personal
correspondence but this will surely be a lost effort to some. Negativity cannot
generate stuff of its own, so it always has to find some positive effort to
condemn or destroy. We, on the other hand, are as free to create and explore as
anyone could want. We neither hate nor despise the poor people who have fallen
to the traps of egotism and control. We accept them and their behavior and exult
in our escape from pettiness and fear. What does concern us is that others not
be led into dissolution and despair by poor leadership and unavailability of
study materials. People cannot be blamed for not knowing that which they cannot
read and study.
We know that we have to each of
us find a way into our own hearts and hold on to that peace and certainty there,
born of our own true experience. While there is great beauty and joy in sharing
recovery, we must each make this very private and personal journey within
ourselves. All that God can give us is there awaiting our desire to know and be
a part of life in all its forms. It is waiting for you and you have only to calm
yourself and look within to know what we are talking about. The noisy cannot
hear it, the busy cannot see it but it the reality of higher power is there
always, just beyond our field of perception. We can only acquire it with our
surrender.
When
we can do this, we will not go crazy over what world service is doing or not
doing. If other members go temporarily insane, we can stand by looking for ways
to help but we will not be drawn into their illusions. God will grant us a way
to help and our path will widen and deepen as time goes by. Gratitude and
sincerity are the building blocks of the new life. All that we need will be
brought to us as we become ready for it, with more on the way. All we have to do
is calm down and accept the miracle. Going sour, complaining about our imperfect
perceptions, blaming life for being real, forgetting that whatever pain our
moments bring, we are alive and can often do something to better our situations.
We will finally realize we are drawn back again and again to lessons we have to
learn so that we can go on. The lessons are blessings in packages and we forget
or don�t know to look inside for the meaning. When we remind each other of the
reality of the Spirit, our own spirit grows.
hits in 2004!
Reprinted from the
N.A. FELLOWSHIP USE ONLY
Copyright � December 2001
Victor Hugo Sewell, Jr.
NA Foundation Group
6685 Bobby John Road Atlanta, GA 30349 USA
404.312.5166
All rights reserved. This draft may be copied by members of Narcotics Anonymous for the purpose of writing input for future drafts, enhancing the recovery of NA members and for the general welfare of the Narcotics Anonymous Fellowship as a whole. The use of an individual name is simply a registration requirement of the Library of Congress and not a departure from the spirit or letter of the Pledge, Preface or Introduction of this book. Any reproduction by individuals or organizations outside the Fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous is prohibited. Any reproduction of this document for personal or corporate monetary gain is prohibited.
Last update January 12, 2006