An Inventory of Morals

Moral Betrayal

It has been said that a Fourth Step inventory is not an inventory of our “morals” – but it is an inventory that we perform “morally” — hence the term, “searching and fearless moral inventory”.

With as opened a mind as is possible – no matter how many times I read it, it just never means that. I cannot see that at all.

The inventory is a consideration of our morals. “Searching” and “Fearless” are words that are clearly being used as adjectives – but “Moral” is still attached to the word “Inventory“, modifying it. No matter how many times I read that step it just does not jive with the “Inventory which is moral” interpretation. It is most definitely an inventory of our morals.

Many people will will disagree – but let’s still be friends. Ok?

It shouldn’t be a problem – but why the resistance to such an idea?

When I did my first inventory, I gladly accounted for my immoral behaviors. If one can fins and face character defects, how much further does on need to go to acknowledge the behaviors stemming from those and that they could hardly have been moral.

I not know about anybody else,but when I was out there, I WAS immoral. I did immoral things. Oh bullshit! Let’s just be perfectly honest — WE ALL did immoral things! We had character defects and those defects caused us to act and behave in an immoral fashion. Period. There is just no escaping that. “We could wish to be moral, we could wish to be philosophically comforted, in fact, we could will these things with all our might, but the needed power wasn’t there. Our human resources, as marshalled by the will, were not sufficient; they failed utterly.” (45:0)

Our MORALS were fine – we had them “galore” (See 62:2) – but those morals were betray by our actions. Get it?

I was judging myself by my intentions (my morals) when I should have rathered to include my actions in the assessment – like the world judged me by those actions (my immorality). Of course I felt cheated because they didn’t know how “GOOD” my intentions were – so to that extent the world was working with an incomplete picture – but still, our thoughts are not very useful to the world – only our actions are.

To live with this type of rub – the difference between our intentions and our actions – is pure hell for anyone. This is the friction – when fueled by pride and resentment – that psychosis, suicides and most aberrant behaviors are made of – for all of the human race – not only us alkies. If it weren’t for pride and resentment there would be no wars. There would be no disease. There would be no alcoholism, drug addiction – all the problems of mankind would cease and we would have a heaven on earth.

But alas, we are human after all aren’t we – screwing it all up and struggling with our own immoralities and character defects until such time as any of us stop struggling and turn our lives and wills over to God for His care.

Then what happens? He doesn’t fail – He solves our screw-ups for us. BELIEVE IT OR NOT!

Character defects are NO LONGER as problematic for those of us who walk in the Sunlight of The Spirit as it seems to be for those in AA trying to stay above water WITHOUT a Program.

I didn’t say they never exist – I said they are no longer as problematic – because we now have at our disposal a spiritual Genius caring for us. After a short while our God consciousness becomes a part of how we think and live our lives. It happens automatically without much trying. We don’t even have to exert much effort to act morally in situations in which we would have faltered before. We just act morally. Common sense becomes uncommon sense.

Some folks find this idea troubling – folks who cannot fathom it. They insist that it must not be true – but I say, “Have an opened mind and try our way of life. It doesn’t suck.” – and THEN if it doesn’t work, if you are still a miserable, dishonest, still recovering, still suffering alcoholic THEN speak from THAT experience. Then I’ll have to believe YOU!

Bill W spoke about morality in a talk he did in 1960. I’ve quoted those below. *

Peace,

Danny S

* “Some strongly object to the A.A. position that alcoholism is an illness. This concept, they feel, removes moral responsibility from alcoholics. As any A.A. knows, this is far from true. We do not use the concept of sickness to absolve our members from responsibility. On the contrary, we use the fact of fatal illness to clamp the heaviest kind of moral obligation onto the sufferer, the obligation to use A.A.’s Twelve Steps to get well.”

“In the early days of his drinking, the alcoholic is often guilty of irresponsibility. But once the time of compulsive drinking has arrived, he can’t very well be held fully accountable for his conduct. He then has an obsession that condemns him to drink, and a bodily sensitivity to alcohol that guarantees his final madness and death.”

“But when he is made aware of this condition, he is under pressure to accept A.A.’s program of moral regeneration.” (Bill W. in a talk ,1960)