Conscience is, in most men, an anticipation of the opinions of others. -- Sir Henry Taylor
We are no longer in doubt about the right actions to take toward others. The program's Steps clarify what is appropriate behavior. Thus we know that doing any injury - physical or emotional - to other people harms us as well as them.
One of the many rewards of recovery is being free to live without guilt. Name-calling, harmful gossip, intentional put-downs, hateful rejections no longer provide the perverse pleasure of years gone by. We now recognize the subtle joy of sincere and loving efforts. We find this joy in calling a friend who is faced with a painful decision, picking up groceries for an elderly neighbor, extending our friendship to the new person at work. We no longer need the fear of what others will think to curb our spiteful actions.
Our conscience may still guide our actions at times, but as we grow in our recovery, we begin to intuitively know what keeps us on track and in sync with God.
Excellent message. I catch myself slipping into some basically mean-spirited inventory-taking of others---usually in an emotional reaction (not a thoughtful response) to something that interferes with putting forth the best effort, or product, that significantly lowers the standards and has a negative impact on others. My negativity isn't going to help anything, and as Larry said, I don't even get the perverse pleasure of the pre-sobriety days! So today, I take Progress Not Perfection to heart--not as an excuse--but as a chance to try, try again. We will intuitively know how to handle things that used to baffle us, as promised, and I so see that coming more frequently true for me.
