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Thu, Oct 25, 2007 07:29:04 AM


μ what does **principles before personalities** really mean? μ
posted: Thu, Oct 25, 2007 07:29:04 AM

 

it means i practice honesty, humility, compassion, tolerance, and patience with everyone, whether i like them or not.
of course this comes the day after i started to clean up my latest personality before principles gaffe. as one of the guiding clichés of the whole recovery gig; it is the one i most frequently, conveniently, forget when dealing with the world around me. so shoot me! well not really, i do enough of that myself. oops had to run and do one more task in cleaning up, sorry about that, although it was invisible to you all.
so back to the task at hand -- why is this such a difficult standard to live up to for me. well i could speak the psycho-babble about how i feel the need to build myself up at the expense of others, and while that is quite true, it is just another excuse. for me, there is no excuse for this behavior. it is just a part of my being, that may or may not be removed across the course of my life. before i fall once again into the trap of false humility, i do need to acknowledge that i do this less than i used to, so there is some hope for me after all. that hope you may ask? well i see myself closer to real-time after i once again fall into the trap of acting against this ideal. i also am more willing to go back and admit where i was wrong and repair the damage i have done. and quite honestly, if this standard was applied to all my behaviors i would almost qualify as a saint or something. nowhere does the program, the literature, or those who have gone before said that i would somehow be transformed into a saint. the HOPE of this whole gig is that i will become more saintlike and less self-absorbed, self-centered and self-entitled. and that is evident in my life toady. the evidence is all around me, that i can be better than i was yesterday, if allow the program to really work in my life. so off to practice a few principles and to see if i can put personalities behind me.

∞ DT ∞

 

djtConsulting Brand
The views expressed on this page are solely the opinion of the author.
While the author is a member of a 12 Step recovery fellowship, these writings are not intended to endorse or express the published wisdom of any fellowship.
These writings are not meant to be socially or politically correct, and if you take issue with any opinions expressed, please seek the guidance of someone wiser than me.

Another Look!

principles before... 249 words ➥ Monday, October 25, 2004 by: donnot
∞ conscience -> personalities? ->principles! ∞ 326 words ➥ Tuesday, October 25, 2005 by: donnot
∞ principles before personalities -- these words are an affirmation: ∞ 525 words ➥ Wednesday, October 25, 2006 by: donnot
α practicing principles does not stop with my friends or when i leave a meeting. ω 273 words ➥ Saturday, October 25, 2008 by: donnot
≅ putting principles before personalities teaches me to treat everyone equally ≅ 334 words ➥ Sunday, October 25, 2009 by: donnot
∼  listening to my conscience, doing the next right thing … 478 words ➥ Monday, October 25, 2010 by: donnot
¿ i have to practice honesty, humility, compassion, tolerance, and patience  ? 441 words ➥ Tuesday, October 25, 2011 by: donnot
¦ TAKE TWO -- putting principles before personalities ¦ 410 words ➥ Thursday, October 25, 2012 by: donnot
¿ i will listen to my conscience and do what is right ¿ 336 words ➥ Friday, October 25, 2013 by: donnot
‰ my focus will be on principles, ‰ 307 words ➥ Saturday, October 25, 2014 by: donnot
< principles > 499 words ➥ Sunday, October 25, 2015 by: donnot
≂ doing what is right, ≃ 382 words ➥ Tuesday, October 25, 2016 by: donnot
🗦 learning to treat 🗧 502 words ➥ Wednesday, October 25, 2017 by: donnot
😇 as one of the 😈 485 words ➥ Thursday, October 25, 2018 by: donnot
🔍 shifting my focus 🔎 612 words ➥ Friday, October 25, 2019 by: donnot
🌎 all my affairs 🌏 491 words ➥ Sunday, October 25, 2020 by: donnot
🧗 honesty, humility, 🦄 497 words ➥ Monday, October 25, 2021 by: donnot
🐉 listening 🐉 407 words ➥ Tuesday, October 25, 2022 by: donnot
😳 cultivating 😉 596 words ➥ Wednesday, October 25, 2023 by: donnot
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☯ The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao ☯

THE TAO TEH KING, OR THE TAO AND ITS CHARACTERISTICS
by Lao-Tse
Translated by James Legge

Book 2

2) Therefore (to guard against this), the sage keeps the left-hand
portion of the record of the engagement, and does not insist on the
(speedy) fulfilment of it by the other party. (So), he who has the
attributes (of the Tao) regards (only) the conditions of the engagement,
while he who has not those attributes regards only the conditions
favourable to himself.