Tradition 2
by Judy F.
“For our group purpose, there is but one ultimate authority–a loving God as He may express himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.”
If it has been a while since you picked up the 12 & 12 and read any of the traditions, I highly recommend it. It has been repeated often that the traditions are to the Group what the steps are to the individual. My “lone wolf” attitude kept me in the dark about the importance of “the group and A.A. as a whole,” focusing only on the steps and how they pertained to me. Selfish, self-centered, is it not the root of the problem?
What an eye-opening I had at a meeting last week when we read the 2nd tradition and discussed the importance of it. Now, I digress because I had to go back to Tradition 1 – “Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.” Tradition one defines what the Group is, and it’s our common welfare that comes first, not Judy’s but the Group’s. Our common welfare is personal recovery, which is then dependent on our unity. Unity is being united or combined into one, as of the parts of a whole; hence, it’s OUR common welfare.
As we move to Tradition 2, it explains to us that there is but one ultimate authority, and it isn’t me or any one person in the meeting. The authority is a higher power that expresses itself in our group conscience. Since there is no one person in charge, decisions for the Group are determined by the Group’s conscience. Rotation of secretaries, treasurers, and other service positions is practiced so no one person assumes that role as the authority.
The tradition then goes on to talk about leadership – “our leaders are but trusted servants.” It is our “elder statesmen,” and even the “bleeding deacon” who become the real and permanent leaders in A.A. Theirs is the quiet opinion, the sure knowledge, and humble example that resolve a crisis.
As I celebrated another year of sobriety, I had to ask myself if my opinion was getting quieter. Am I leading by example or still trying to ram my opinions and ideas down members’ throats? Bill’s story in Tradition 2 shows he still struggled with some grandiose ideas, but in the end, even he was obliged to conform to group opinion.
I sat in that meeting on tradition two and thanked God for all my learning experiences concerning this tradition. I thanked him for the times I felt like I was the only person suitable for a certain position, only to have the group conscience go with someone else. I thanked him for the times I stomped out of business meetings because something didn’t go my way. So, I ask myself once again, is my opinion quieter, and do I believe a loving God expresses himself through me as his trusted servant? In my morning meditation, I ask how I can be of service to him and the people around me – I love being one of his trusted servants today and that I don’t have to govern.