Mail Call for All A. A.s at Home Or Abroad

Nothing is ever said that is really new; but I do believe there are two things that can never cease being of interest to any alcoholic, regardless of how old he is in A.A. He is interested first in himself, and the second thing is staying sober. Now in regard to the first I believe it behooves every alcoholic (or any other person) to accept what was said in Julius Caesar by Cassius, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings." Following the 4th Step, it seems that if we can just accept our limitations and our assets we will be so much the more at peace with everything. This does not mean that we have to like even the circumstances of the present moment, but we can control our attitude of what happens to us. Man is often willing to change circumstances, but seems unwilling to change himself; but it is this simple realization that man can control his thoughts above everything else that gives hope to any alcoholic. But--and here's what hurts--he must admit that the fault usually lies within himself. After this humbling admission he can then proceed to do something about his thoughts, constructively. I wish I could in this short space emphasize emphatically and even dogmatically that, "as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." I will give only one concrete example of this in everyday life. Suppose there is some one specific person whom we do not like. There is nothing we can do to alter that person's personality; but we can alter our thought about him or her, or simply not think of the person at all. I have tried it, and like all of A.A., it works.