“Is not our age characterized by the ease with which we discard old ideas for new, by the complete readiness with which we throw away the theory or gadget which does not work for something new which does?” – The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 52
How many times have we changed our minds about a situation, a person, an idea? Our beliefs may have fluctuated throughout our lives depending on what we’ve learned, seen, heard and/or come to understand regarding a situation where initially we may have thought differently. So, in this, we can look back and realize that perhaps our initial ideas weren’t always correct or as informed as we may have thought.
As we approach sobriety and enter an addiction program in Los Angeles, we may need to reevaluate our belief systems, recognizing that the ones we have relied upon have not always led us to make the best choices and/or place ourselves in the optimum situations. Perhaps it is time to rely on a different source for direction. In this, we begin to realize our own concepts haven’t been as reliable. Maybe, in our initial belief systems we were sure there was nothing greater than ourselves, that there wasn’t a greater Intelligent Power to guide us.
If we are as inclined to discard old ideas for new based on what we’ve learned through our lives, doesn’t it stand to reason that, perhaps, we may want to reevaluate our idea of relying on a Power greater than ourselves? Just as we once could not imagine a sober life and are now learning a new life in an affordable rehab, we can see where perhaps our new life may have room for a power greater than ourselves. Even if we are still unable to fully grasp that idea, an idea which is constructed as we move forward by our own respective understanding, it could be conceivable that we function under the premise that there is a Power greater than us, whether we are ready to accept that in full or not. When we live through the idea of something bigger than merely ourselves, we begin to live in a way that allows us to extend past our own designs and schemes and we bring the better part of ourselves into the world.