It's a group conscience decision to ban texting, they tell you -exactly- what is going to happen if you text, surprise surprise the rules do, in fact, apply to you, if you don't like it, go to a different meeting or attend business meetings
Squirrel I dig you, but if you were my sponsee I'd laugh at you and tell you to grow up and then hug you
-- Edited by LinBabaAgo-go on Wednesday 18th of April 2012 11:13:29 PM
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Light a man a fire and he's warm for a night, set a man on fire and he will be warm for the rest of his life
in my home group`s meeting script: "If you cannot refrain from texting, you will be asked to take it outside by a home group member." OH pardon me, I`m a home group member. I don`t think any other home group member has any authority oer me, regardless of what some screwy "group conscience" may decide to include in the meeting script. Meetings are boring to me many times at 3+ years sober, but unfortunately I still need them. So I choose to ignore this line and surf the web on my phone during a meeting sometimes. Now today this asshole home group member who`s sitting next to me (and by the way, i was there first) decides to tell me to put my phone away, knowing he`s backed by the script. I am instantly tensed up. I`d like to kick the living shit out of him on the spot, to tell you the absolute truth. Yeah, I`m not the well-est person in the room. So go fuck yourself, I still need to be there and compared to the disruptive things i`ve seen elsewhere this is nothing and this person can move elsewhere if he doesn`t like it. I waited for the speaker to be done and left. Now on top of being sick I have a new resentment against a person and an entire group for its petty-mindedness. And I fully intend to sit next to this person again now and BE disruptive just to make my point. What next? Please refrain from wearing beer shirts or doing crosswords, or perhaps knitting sweaters? What a bunch of micromanaging BS. And the idea of putting home group members on some kind of elevated status over other AA members is unconscionable.
Aloha FS...just a suggestion...read your post as if someone else had authored it and see how it comes out for you. I'd take this to my sponsor and sit still while listening to the feedback.
Thanks for your post, I felt something like this towards my group and a certain person in it earlier this week. Reading your post gave me some insight about myself. So I thank you for sharing.
I ended up just deciding to accept where I was wrong, where the other person was, forgive myself and everyone else involved, and move on because I really want to stay sober. People are just not as perfect as I expect them to be, but neither am I. Oh well, still can do the next right thing, to the best of my ability. I like your signature "keep it simple", for me that starts with saying the serenity prayer.
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Thanks for everything. Peace and Love on your journey.
What do I think of the line? Not a fan of it, I think something like, "please silence and refrain from using electronic devices during the meeting" would suffice, don't care for the HG police rule either, but the HG meeting is the time to discuss this.
Have/would I looked at my phone and sent a quick text if it's important? Yes I'm guilty
I've have been sober and a member of my homegroup a long time, so like it or not people are watching me. It's not a role I asked for, but I know it's true.
What is my vision of God's will for me or the next right thing? What example should we set for the new person?
Would a meeting full of people surfing/texting on cell phones/tablets etc be a good thing?
Hope this can help,
Take Care, Rob
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Rob
"There ain't no Coupe DeVille hiding in the bottom of a Cracker Jack Box."
I occasionally attend a meeting where a good hard core of the membership text, read books or listen to Ipods during the meeting. It's in an institution and you only get in there by being sectioned under the mental health act or as an option for the last 6 months of your jail sentence. It really is the last stop and most of them are dead within two or three years.
Once in a while we find someone who really does want the message and are willing to go to any lengths to get it. They show this by listening attentively to all speakers, and getting together with the visiting AAs after the meeting. These ones, though rare, usually recover and it is a joy to watch.
Wow...is all I can say and I think Jerry F was spot on. Read like it was someone else who wrote it. Curious what you get out of the post after that. Have a great day. :)
FS - It would be nice if everyone could understand your individual reasons and where you are at with your own program. Unfortunately they don't and those sort of rules are made just or the betterment of everyone. I guess people think knitting is something you can multitask at better than texting or websurfing.
Generally, I believe in that rule about no texting and using phones in meetings. It's the same as if you were doing it in church. It's just rude. Furthermore, in your first few months in AA I would bet you were not texting and were probably more concerned about saiving your own ass. Hence, for the newcomer that is there crying and spilling their guts and looking for some solution when they have no real higher power of their own yet - What are they going to think when you are just sitting there texting?
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Keep coming back. It works if you work it. So work it. You're worth it!
At our meetings it is said during the opening of the meeting to please turn all phones off please. No I would not take my phone to church and leave it on either or when visiting my Dr. Sorry Dr hold on, someone wants me to taxt them back but its so important I must call :}
To me its a little bit like if I fly or travel by coach I can no longer smoke either. And years ago we could not get onto any or into an AA meeting through the smoke !
Resentments..Why bother they can just mess up you day,week month ! life is far better without :}
I was once told that if I do not go to the conscience meeting to speak up or vote who am I to say anything. If its my home group I get involved and if its not my home group I do as they do..Yep Keep it simple :}
Non-acceptance or acceptance of people,places and things springs to mind too. I think FlyingSquirrel just felt like a little rant :} I hope he has got over it with time to reflect. I drank on resentments and anger also the poor me's and what a mess I turned out to be.
Happy to sober today and thanks for the reminder that its not always '' about me ''
Polly.X
Catch you all in my tomorrow funny time difference in the Mediterranean.
It's bottom of the ninth, two out and bases are loaded. Your team is tied 2-2. Last game of the season. You are tied for first place with the team facing you. Also... you're in the game... shortstop, better yet catcher. What do you do? Text?
I don't know, but I wouldn't. I'd pay attention. And remember, this game/meeting is about saving your life.
I would never presume to tell you what to do... live and let live...but I'm just sayin'...
FS, hmmm, I once heard the main share at a meeting ask some guy who was surfing on his fancy phone if he needed the vaseline or would be happy if it was shoved up his arse dry............sorta agressive I know, but funny as f...
What we had there were two 'special and different' people, one who thought he should be listened to, and one who thought he had better things to do.........
all our meetings, we ask that all phones be turned off or put on silent, the implication being don't use your phone.
which is more important, listening or texting?
Recovery or business / social interaction?
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It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you got. BB
