Posted by Rob A on April 27, 19102 at 08:11:06:
Family, Fellowship, Friends, Brothers and Sisters....what else do you call the members of OUR Society who've been partly responsible for rescuing us from the horrors of active addition and offering us a new way of life (a way of life greater than we could even dream of). Do we not care for each other as a loving family? I don't mean the kind of family I grew up in (addiction was rife), I mean a loving and caring, healthy family. Our's is a Fellowship of men and women, old and young, black and white (red, geen and blue even), happy and sad, sane and mad...all trying our best to get well....some have different degrees of illness and we'll also have different rates of recovery...but who's to judge others,...me or you...I don't think so... I believe the only time a members recovery is our concern is when their ability to Serve in a responsible and accountable manner is in doubt. I've seen members physically attacked over service issues (once)...I've seen members verbally attacked (myself included) dozens of times. Sadly the bulk of it has been over the past 7 or 8 years and is frequent today. It's no wonder many people give up (their membership)in NA and lose faith that we are really a loving and caring fellowship when they see this happening. Will it go on for ever? Will we be like so many of those religeous wars that go on for ever, each side believeing that they are right and the others are wrong? Killing each other in the name of god, allah, or whatever self rightousness. In my Home Group we stand for 'total abstinence from all drugs' the 12 Traditions are 'non-negotiable' we print and give away 'free Basic Texts'(3rd rev..orig.4th & 9th Traditions) to any addict that walks in the door..no exceptions. We don't recognise the service structure as an authority over Home Groups and we regard the 12 concepts as an insult to the 12 Traditions.
For these beliefs we are well and truely persecuted, ostracised, excluded and made unwellcome at some meetings...We stand for these beliefs because we believe NA to be a Loving and Caring Spiritual not religeous or corporate programme, we will do any thing we can do to help the desperate, dying addicts within our community. There's no service charge...'we keep what we have by giving it away' giving it away for free. We are fully self-supporting ..we take no donations from outside our Fellowship and do not sell Basic Texts at a profit as a means of generating money.
''Teach a man to fish and he can feed his family'' for ever and teach others the same..sell him a piece of fish and you've got a customer for life...one way's Spiritual..the other's a business..what are we as NA?
How long will the corporate mentality continue to exert power in OUR Loving and Caring Fellowship.
Thanks for letting me share.
Rob A