DISCUSSION No. 2 - THE SUBMISSION PHASE (Part I), Steps 2, 3, 4 and 5
The 1944 pamphlet tells us:
Step No. 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Our drinking experience has shown two conclusions:
1) That as we strayed away from the normal SOCIAL side of life, our minds became confused and we strayed away from the normal MENTAL side of life.
2) An abnormal MENTAL condition is certainly not SANITY in the accepted sense of the word. We have acquired or developed a MENTAL DISEASE. Our study of AA shows that:
a) In the MENTAL or tangible side of life we have lost touch with, or ignored, or have forgotten the SPIRITUAL values that give us the dignity of MAN as differentiated from the ANIMAL. We have fallen back upon the MATERIAL things of life and these have failed us. We have been groping in the dark.
b) No HUMAN agency, no SCIENCE or ART has been able to solve the alcoholic problem, so we turn to the SPIRITUAL for guidance. Therefore we "Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity."
3) We must believe with a great FAITH!!
Step No. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
In the first step we learned that we had lost the power of choice and had to make a decision.
1. What decision could we make better than to
a. turn our very will over to God, realizing that our own use of our own will had resulted in trouble.
b. As in the Lord's Prayer, you must believe and practice THY WILL BE DONE.
2. GOD as we understand Him.
3. Religion is a word we do not use in A.A. We refer to a member's relation to God as the spiritual. A religion is a form of worship - - not the worship itself.
4. If a man cannot believe in God he can certainly believe in something greater than himself. If he cannot believe in a power greater than himself he is a rather hopeless egotist.
Step No. 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
The intent and purpose of this step is plain. All alcoholics have a definite need for a good self-analysis - - a sort of self-appraisal. Other people have certainly analyzed us, appraised us, criticized us and even judged us. It might be a good idea to judge ourselves, calmly and honestly. We need inventory because...
1. Either our faults, weaknesses, defects of character -- are the cause of our drinking,
2. Or, Our drinking has weakened our character and led us into all kinds of wrong action, wrong attitudes, wrong viewpoints. In either event we obviously need an inventory and the only kind of inventory to make is a GOOD one.
Moreover, the job is up to US. WE created or WE let develop all the anti-social actions that got US in the wrong. So WE have got to work it out. WE must make out a list of our faults and then WE must do something about it.
The inventory must be four things: (Four Requirements)
1. It must be HONEST. Why waste time fooling ourselves with a phony list? We have fooled ourselves for years, we tried to fool others, and now is a good time to look ourselves squarely in the eye.
2. It must be SEARCHING. Why skip over a vital matter lightly and quickly? Our trouble is a grave mental disease, confused by screwy thinking. Therefore, we must SEARCH diligently and fearlessly to get at the truth of what is wrong with us - - just dig in and search.
3. It must be FEARLESS. We must not be afraid we might find things in our heart, mind and soul that we will hate to discover. If we do find such things they may be the ROOT of our trouble.
4. It must be a MORAL inventory. Some, in error, think the inventory is a lot of unpaid debts, plus a list of unmade apologies. Our trouble lies much deeper. We will find the root of our trouble lies in Resentments, False Pride, Envy, Jealousy, Selfishness and many other things. Laziness is an important one. In other words we are making an inventory of our character: our attitude toward others, our very way of living. We are not preparing a financial statement. We will pay our bills all right, because we cannot even begin to practice A.A. without HONESTY.
Step No. 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
1. There is nothing new in this step. There are many sound reasons for "talking over our troubles out loud with others."
2. The Catholic already has this medium readily available to him in the confessional. But - - the Catholic is at a disadvantage if he thinks his familiarity with confession permits him to think his part of A.A. is thereby automatically taken care of. He must, in confession, seriously consider his problems in relation to his alcoholic thinking.
3. The non-Catholic has the way open to work this step by going to his minister, his doctor, or his friend.
4. Under this step it is not even necessary to go to a priest or minister. Any understanding human being, friend or stranger, will serve the purpose.
5. The purpose and intent of this step is so plain and definite that it needs little explanation. The point is that we MUST do EXACTLY what the fifth step says, sooner or later. We must not be in rush to get this step off our chest. Consider it carefully and calmly. Then get about it and do it.
6. "Wrongs" do not necessarily mean crime. It can well be wrong thinking - - selfishness - - false pride - - egotism - - or any one of a hundred such negative faults.