Some might say that this post is really not part of the 12 steps or recovery. However I disagree and my disagreement is based upon earlier posts. Posts on being an authentic person, on to thine own self be true as well as following our moral code, and the fact that the premise of the 12 step program is to become a contributing, productive member of society. Even though the over 300, 12 step fellowships follow Tradition 10,” has no opinions about outside issues”. However as contributing and productive members of society, who live by principles, ethics and integrity, this new lifestyle compels us to voice our opinions, whether in a vote or to speak out.
The world is a wonderful paradox, people are a great paradox, we are all different in unique, from our fingerprints to hair colour, from our ideologies to our religions, from our culture to our skin colour, and many others. Yet despite these differences we are all the very same, we all breathe oxygen, we all bleed when cut, we all hurt when insulted and degraded, we all produce children in the same way, we all desire to be loved and to feel wanted and the want to belong. Most of all we all want to feel safe and secure, and we all want our loved ones to be safe and have the best life has to offer.
The lessons of the 12 steps have taught us to find our own truths and be true to them, as well as to do what is right and what is right in front of us. It would seem that for some, even though they are in recovery and examined and found the fallacy in our thinking in certain aspects of our lives, we have failed to examine all of our belief systems. Recovery must be part of our whole life and thinking processes. It is this thinking that produces thoughts such as, I am only one vote, my vote won’t make a difference, and who am I, no one will care what I think. When you add up all those thinking in this manner the numbers really add up. It is this thinking that was the basis for many of the world’s atrocities. The world’s greatest accomplishments and/or humanistic endeavours, all started with one voice, which others related to and rallied behind, and in the reverse the world’s worst atrocities were the lack of the voice of dissent. Yet that voice finally was spoken and heard, which put an end to such, as the emancipation proclamation, the destruction of the berlin wall or the end the holocaust and aparthied. However they were allowed to initially happen because as Pastor Martin Niemoller was quoted “They first came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist, they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out for I was not a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.” This was his quote on the rise of the Nazi Regime.
It has also been quoted, “if you don’t stand for anything, you stand for nothing.” Or “if you stand for nothing you will fall for anything.” If you fail to speak out against injustice, then you condone injustice.
However with this responsibility to speak our truth brings an even greater responsibility. We MUST educate ourselves in how we use our vote and/or voice. For to use your vote and/or voice without educating yourself on the issue, is as bad as not using your vote and/or voice. There are far too many people who vote for people just because of the party they belong to, with excuses like, well our family has always voted this way, so they vote without any real knowledge of who and what they are voting for. The same is true on the voice of some who speak against or for certain issues, without any real knowledge and/or facts. My must educate ourselves about the issues that we vote or speak for against. We must find out the facts for ourselves, find our own truths. Never accept another’s opinion or truths as your own. Always find your own truth. The fellowship basically calls this “contempt prior to investigation”.
We were given a new lease on life, to honour this we need to contribute to our society. To do this we need to have our educated voices heard, for our life is our choices, and to not speak out is to basically play the victim. If you do not vote or use your voice in an educated manner, then you have no say about how society works.
Remember God does not create garbage
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grt
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