One Day at a Time in Al-Anon:
Someone suggested we add another slogan to those we use in Al-Anon: Listen and learn. My first reaction was: “No! Not everybody at an Al-Anon meeting says something that is helpful. What about those who advise: ‘Throw the bum out!’ Doesn’t that negate everything we’re supposed to hear in Al-Anon?” But wait! What I learn from the negative comments can be useful in opening my mind to my own wrong thinking. When someone gives advice, I can say to myself: “But we’re not supposed to advise in Al-Anon.” If someone expresses hostility and resentment for what the alcoholic does, it can teach me to avoid those very things in myself.
Today’s Reminder:
Listen and learn is sound doctrine, if we use it well. We don’t make significant progress in our thinking if we’re only listening to ourselves talk.
“It is the disease of not listening… that I am troubled with.”
—William Shakespeare“I pray that I may learn from listening—whether or not I agree with what I hear.”