Strength Office 689

One of my Sponcee’ s asked about edginess:

Edginess…part one

If you Google the word “edgy” after finding “ tense, nervous and irritable “ you find this very interesting “informal” definition: “ at the forefront of a trend; experimental or avant-garde.”

In the Light Heart Offices Lao Tze says: “Guard and keep three treasures: Deep love, frugality, and not to dare to be ahead of the world.”

Not to dare to be ahead of the world? What’s wrong with that?

Because it causes envy and essentially pisses people off.

That being said the Big Book calls us to be the “intelligent agents, spearheads of God's ever advancing Creation”.

So, with a word of prudent caution, as they do in Al-anon, let’s do a group inventory…

The “What if there were a cure for addiction” book is high risk because AA has taught us that “Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic”. I agree with that 100%.
So, it you read the title, but not the book, you might misinterpret what we actually believe, which is, not that it is possible not to drink again, but rather what All Addictions Anonymous says, that all addiction can be completely eradicated…if you kill yourself working at it, day and night, for years.

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Edginess…part two

Secondly, it’s a little dangerous to be supporting Gandhi’s beliefs these days because after his wife died he slept, chastely, with naked young girls. This was an extremely bad idea, he realized that, and repented.

Intelligent, educated people have suggested that reading Gandhi is reprehensible because of this mistake.

Makes me wonder though…Should we not read the Book of Psalms when King David does the same thing with Abishag the Shunammite in the Old Testament Book of Kings 1?

I find Gandhi’s ideas on fasting and chastity very helpful…and I forgive him his stupid mistake.

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Edginess…part three

People are extremely divided on the Bible. One group says every word is true.
The other group says none of it is true.
The Big Book says “Try to see where religious people are right. Make use of what they offer”.

Since most folks at ActWithCourage are either sex addicts or food addicts we have a version of the Bible that has every word about sex and food in our edition.
PS: we also have every word in the Bible about music…but that is more for the editor.

Edgy?…probably

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Edginess…part four

We have a book on food addiction recovery that utilizes all the brilliant work that Overeaters Anonymous taught us since 1960 plus all the new information from Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous founded in 1989.

These two groups can be fairly antagonistic, but AA says “Take what you can use an leave the rest.”

At ActWithCourage we also include the observance of exercise, the freshness of our food and concerns over carcinogenic materials in our food as legitimate materials to be inventoried as part of our health.

What’s edgy here is, if you say this in an open FA meeting…you may come out with your head on a plate.

Once again, it is wise, not to “try to be ahead of the world” , but rather simply “To Thine own self be true”…

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Edginess…part five

I sat on a stage about to launch into a performance, premiering and new CD on Chastity, in 2000 with the second richest, most powerful man in the South.

A moment before we started he looked at me and said “ It is hard to imagine an idea with universally less appeal than this”.

The New Chastity Book outlines the tools and methods for accessing this diamond cutter in our “Spiritual toolkit”…but nothing makes people madder faster.

There is a line in the New Testament that says “ Do not give what is holy to dogs, or they will turn on you and tear you to pieces”.

While that sounds a little harsh…I get what the author means.

Talk about the edge…

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Edginess…part six

Finally, there is “My story: 30 years of sexual sobriety”.

This is a double edged sword. Truthfully, people listen to me because I haven’t masturbated for 30 years, and that is good because it gives people who are addicted to sex, particularly pornography, hope.

But, it also infuriates “normies” or “earth people”.

I had a man confront me on the street just three days ago about how he believed that we were wrong and that masturbation was good for husbands of pregnant wives…

He seemed ameliorated when I told him that I wrote for addicts not the world.

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Edginess…part seven

In traditional 12 step there are two steps you write out: the fourth step inventory of resentments, fears and sex and the eighth step list of the people you have harmed.

At AWC we write out Steps one, two, three, four, six, eight, ten and eleven.

That’s a bit edgy, but when you are trying to stop all addictions…it’s important to be thorough.

So what is the take away on this seven part series on edginess?

Administratively it suggests putting these seven books under one simple, low key title, perhaps “God's ever advancing Creation”…or “Spiritual extra credit”.

Spirituality, I see, more and more, the prudence, freedom and joy that comes from anonymity and the just plain common sense of Lao Tze’s admonition “ Not to dare to be ahead of the world.”