Nov. 14, 2012 - Just for Today

Just for Today
Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012

"Selfishness - self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles. Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate. Sometimes they hurt us, seemingly without provocation, but we invariably find that at some time in the past we have made decisions based on self which later placed us in a position to be hurt." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Ch 5 ("How It Works"), p 62.

Just for today: "...we have made decisions based on self which later placed us in a position to be hurt." The boomerang effect. If I harbor thoughts of exacting revenge on those who have wronged me, real or perceived, I would be wise to reach back into my yesterdays and remember that my best-laid plans of revenge or come-uppance for someone else have usually acted like a boomerang and sneaked from behind to crack me in the head. If I am not yet able to let go for whatever emotion I hold against anyone whom I think has hurt me, perhaps I can understand that setting out to inflict intentional harm or injury - revenge - may well put me in the position of being hurt somewhere down the road. And the selfishness that drives the engine to quench that thirst for revenge is the precursor of resentment which, as any Big Book reader knows, is our most formidable and potentially lethal opponent. Today, if I can't for whatever reason let go thoughts of getting revenge on someone and hoping for their day of reckoning, I may be better served to understand that I may be setting a trap for myself. And our common journey continues. Just for today. - Chris M., 2012