Veritas Laedere | 真実が痛いです | The Truth Hurts

****************************************************************************

     It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

--Theodore Roosevelt, The Man in the Arena

****************************************************************************

     Gossip barbed with our anger, a polite form of murder by character assassination, has its satisfactions for us, too. Here we are not trying to help those we criticize; we are trying to proclaim our own righteousness.

--Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (67)

****************************************************************************

     Where had we been selfish, dishonest, or inconsiderate? Whom had we hurt? Did we unjustifiably arouse jealousy, suspicion or bitterness? Where were we at fault, what should we have done instead? We got this all down on paper and looked at it.

Alcoholics Anonymous, (96:1)

****************************************************************************

     Our book tells us that 'fear an evil and corroding thread'.  So it is, but in many ways gossip is an evil and corroding thread, also.  It has killed more AA groups and alcoholics than Johnnie Walker Black.  The talk it always seems is of 'the doers of deeds, the men in the arena'.  The sad but ugly truth is that those who won't judge those who do.

     My sponsor has taught me - successfully I hope - to simply spin on my heels and walk away from gossip.  This is because when someone is in full gossip mode, no matter how much you try to reason w/the their 'instincts will balk at investigation, and rebellion will dog their every step'.

     I have had simply the greatest teachers in the world, and David Joyce was no small part of that.

     I love you all.

     Yours in love and service,

--COG, 1st. Class.

****************************************************************************