Tradition 6 We looked at some of the character defects that we might - PDF document

Tradition 6 We looked at some of the character defects that we might need to sacrifice associated with Authority in Tradition 2. Tradition 6 will have us take a look at some issues around Property and Money. TRADITION SIX – Long Form Problems of money, property, and authority may easily divert us from our primary spiritual aim. We think, therefore, that any considerable property of genuine use to A.A. should be separately incorporated and managed, thus dividing the material from the spiritual. This part of the Tradition makes it perfectly clear that considerable property should be separately incorporated and managed. For the most part, this section of Tradition 6 does not represent a lot of challenges within AA. It is generally adhered to when we talk about considerable property. An A.A. group, as such, should never go into business. On the face of it, this part of the Tradition is also very clear and straight forward. Our history showed us that it was tried in various ways and always failed. However, in today’s world, if you try to open a checking account for your home group, the bank may very well ask you to fill out a bunch of forms and try to set your group up as a non-profit, and possibly even a tax exempt 501c3 non-profit. Before you know it and completely unintentionally, your group becomes a business in the eyes of the bank and potentially the IRS. So, it is always wise to review all of that banking paperwork before you sign it. Rev 2 9/22/2018

Secondary aids to A.A., such as clubs or hospitals which require much property or administration, ought to be incorporated and so set apart that, if necessary, they can be freely discarded by the groups. Hence such facilities ought not to use the A.A. name. Their management should be the sole responsibility of those people who financially support them. For clubs, A.A. managers are usually preferred. But hospitals, as well as other places of recuperation, ought to be well outside A.A.-and medically supervised. Again, this is pretty straight forward, and most folks do not go out and intentionally try to set up AA hospitals. This Tradition is generally adhered to well enough that clubs do not try to open as an AA entity in our modern times. Again, if you go back and look through our history, there are any number of examples where in the early days, some of our pioneers dabbled with a few of these ideas, and ultimately it became very clear through our own experiences that keeping clubs and hospitals and all other corporate entities outside of AA was going to be paramount. While an A.A. group may cooperate with anyone, such cooperation ought never to go so far as affiliation or endorsement, actual or implied. An A.A. group can bind itself to no one. Most of the issues that come up around affiliation are far more often unintentional. Very rarely do we AA’s engage directly in affiliations consciously and on purpose. The unintentional varieties usually come from a couple of places. One being simply not being informed about our Tradition guarding against affiliation. The most common unintentional affiliations are generally born of our defects of character. Go figure? What kinds of defects would lead us to create an affiliation? Early history exposed spiritual arrogance Rev 2 9/22/2018

Bill shared one of flawed ideas in AA comes of age: “If alcoholism could be licked, so could any problem! A.A.’s uncompromising honesty might soon clean up politics. In the factories it could help laborers and capitalists to love each other. Having learned to live so happily, we would show everybody else how. We thought our Society of Alcoholics Anonymous might prove to be the spearhead of a new spiritual advance. Our principles might transform the world! “ Do I have a spiritual arrogance that starts to look like the guy on the white horse, wanting to save everybody? To “Transform the World” as Bill once fantasized? If so, I had better review my behavior with respect to carrying our message. I am at great risk of creating unintentional affiliations and anonymity breaks. Both driven by my ego. If I don’t keep these defects in check, my ability to follow the Tradition 6 can become diminished. In my zeal to carry the message and help everybody, does my spiritual arrogance lead me to overstep the boundaries of affiliation? Do I get overexcited about helping people in Treatment centers? Hospitals? Or Correctional Facilities? Do I allow those facilities to let us bring in AA meetings under their terms and conditions even if they don’t quite line up with our Traditions? Perhaps they want to have our AA meetings on their location for their benefit? Perhaps they would like to affiliate with AA to draw upon our success? Do I look the other way just because I believe that their occupants “Need to hear the AA message?” Do I lose sight of our Primary purpose? Am I trying to help everybody in need? Am I entering into any activity other than straight AA? Am I, or my home group lending the AA name to any other cause, no matter how good, even if it is in the alcohol field? Does my homegroup make financial contributions to any related facility to try to help them? Does my homegroup receive financial Rev 2 9/22/2018

contributions from any related facility? How about non-financial contributions? Free meeting space? If my meeting is at a church – Is my AA meeting in their Sunday Bulletin? Does it sound like the church is putting on the AA meeting as a public service or that the meeting is “Sponsored by the Church” ? There are so many gray situations that may or may not create an affiliation, actual or implied. Most of them are unintentional, but the only way to be diligent about it all is to review my interactions with all the outside world when I am doing anything related to AA. I need to watch for my defects of character getting in the way. These affiliations are so easy to create even with out trying to do so. We must all be on guard as best as we can. I have come to learn that adhering to the Traditions becomes a natural extension of the Steps and they become a part of my life. They become more meaningful to me. I will close with another of Bill’s writings in Language of the Heart . "Our Traditions are set down on paper. But they were written first in our hearts. For each of us knows, instinctively I think, that AA is not ours to do with as we please. We are but caretakers to preserve the spiritual quality of our Fellowship; keep it whole for those who will come after us and have need of what has so generously been given to us." Thank you. Rev 2 9/22/2018