Long before I learned about the AA program, I had all of the answers. And they were all right! Not only that but I ALWAYS had to be right, even if very wrong. Soon after starting to work the AA program, I discovered that this attitude was making me a very unhappy person whenever I was near someone with whom I did not agree. Unhappy, many times, meant angry and angry made me someone others did not necessarily want to be too close to.
This led me to the question of did I wish to always be right or did I wish to be happy. Always right – miserable. May Be right but allowing for another opinion – peace. Those became my choices. I have chosen to allow others to have their opinion. They can even voice them to me. Now, not letting it make me angry and ready to fight for what I think is right. “If I am right and you do not agree with me that means you are wrong!”
Is what I want is to have a world full of me-clones? That would make for a very boring, probably turning to violent place to spend any time. Right, wrong – Who am I to judge? I have discovered that right and wrong are two attitudes that do not have to be disputed. Political, religious, educational, sex, ethnicity, food tastes, dress codes, music styles – the list is endless – all have differences and this does not mean right or wrong.
I still feel passionate about certain issues but choose not to discuss them with many. If I do, I am possibly looking for a fight when I enter the discussion. I have also learned that I have learned so much more by listening to people. This is the exact opposite from the days of madness. Then, I was looking for ways to disagree and actually getting angry when the other person had an opposing opinion. Opinions are like fingerprints. Everyone has opinions and they are all different. This does not make them wrong and me right it just makes them different.
So, the choice for me is, do I want to be right or do I want to be Happy, Joyous, and Free? That is really my ONLY choice. Remember the mirror. What you put into it you get out of it. If I don’t like the image that I see, I can either change my input or walk away from the mirror. What about you? God bless you!
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