Daily Reflection

APRIL 29
GROUP AUTONOMY
Some may think that we have carried the principle of group
autonomy to extremes. For example, in its original "long
form," Tradition Four declares: "Any two or three gathered
together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group,
provided that as a group they have no other affiliation.,
. . But this ultra-liberty is not so risky as it looks.*

A.A. COMES OF AGE PP 104-05
As an active alcoholic, I abused every liberty that life
afforded. How could A.A. expect me to respect the "ultraliberty"
bestowed by Tradition Four? Learning respect has
become a lifetime job.
A.A. has made me fully accept the necessity of discipline
and that, if I do not assert it from within, then I will pay for
it. This applies to groups too. Tradition Four points me in a
spiritual direction, in spite of my alcoholic inclinations. 


* This is a misquote; Bill quoted the Third Tradition, but was referring to
Tradition Four.