What you pay attention to...

I've been focusing on and looking specifically for conversations about AA principles for about 7-9 months now.

I have been shocked at how much the conversations in and around AA seem to have radically changed toward being focused on and about our principles. There are few possible explanations for this phenomena that come to mind:

1. everybody is suddenly on the same page as me - all of AA having reached the same plateau of enlightenment at exactly the same time as me
2. I finally started hearing what everyone has been saying all along
3. some combination of the 2...

As hard as it is for me to imagine that I could have been so wrapped up in myself that I would not have heard this dialogue for ~25 years, I'm sure that's at least some of what has happened. When you read early writings on and about AA (e.g. AA Comes of Age, Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers, etc.) clearly they had a handle on the fact that "practicing these principles" was a lot more than a slogan to wrap up the essence of the 12 steps.

In fact, they saw it as the core of how people were staying sober. I've been working on a couple of articles on another blog (What is a Principle (Definition)?, What are OUR principles?) and am having a powerful realization exactly how my ego-driven old ideas are reluctant to let me change.

But I digress - the really interesting thing to me this morning is how the world in AA looked one way (selfish people off working their selfish programs as best they could...) about a year ago and, today, I find a whole community of folks at meetings, the blogosphere and beyond who are really signed up to live lives as recovered alcoholics in accordance with the principles they've aligned with as a result of a spiritual awakening.

Amazing...

More is being revealed...
Ed