Tradition 01

(long form) Each member of Alcoholics Anonymous is but a small part of a great whole. A.A. must continue to live or most of use will surely die. Hence our common welfare comes first. But individual welfare follows close afterward.
(short form) Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends
upon AA unity.

• Primary principle(s): Unity, anonymity, humility
• Other principles: Self-sacrifice, responsibility, altruism, consideration, tolerance,  group conscience

Readings:

• Emotional Sobriety - by Bill W.
• Dr. Tiebout: Articles on the Alcoholic Ego
• GSO/Grapevine: Traditions Checklist
• “Flying Blind” - June 1997 - AA Grapevine

So, unity seems to be a good idea - how is it that we can contribute to unity? The 2 main principles that come to mind are anonymity and humility.

As Bill says in his article on Emotional Security, “Those adolescent urges that so many of us have for top approval, perfect security, and perfect romance—urges quite appropriate to age seventeen—prove to be an impossible way of life when we are at age forty-seven or fifty-seven.”

From the Grapevine Traditions Checklist for Tradition One pamphlet (comments about principles added by me):

1. Am I in my group a healing, mending, integrating person, or am I divisive? What about gossip and taking other members’ inventories?
   • Principles: Love, tolerance, acceptance, humility, generosity
2. Am I a peacemaker? Or do I, with pious preludes such as “just for the sake of discussion,” plunge into argument?
   • Principles: Peace, tolerance, good nature
3. Am I gentle with those who rub me the wrong way, or am I abrasive?
   • Principles: Love, tolerance, humility, honesty, self-sacrifice, compassion, generosity
4. Do I make competitive AA remarks, such as comparing one group with another or contrasting AA in one place with AA in another?
   • Principles: Humility, tolerance, acceptance
5. Do I put down some AA activities as if I were superior for not participating in this or that aspect of AA?
   • Principles: Acceptance, humility
6. Am I informed about AA as a whole? Do I support, in every way I can, AA as a whole, or just the parts I understand and approve of?
   • Principles: Humility, anonymity, acceptance, open mindedness, willingness
7. Am I as considerate of AA members as I want them to be of me?
   • Principles: Consideration, humility, honesty, selflessness
8. Do I spout platitudes about love while indulging in and secretly justifying behavior that bristles with hostility?
   • Principles: Responsibility, honesty
9. Do I go to enough AA meetings or read enough AA literature to really keep in touch?
   • Principles: Grace, unity, helpfulness, responsibility
10. Do I share with AA all of me, the bad and the good, accepting as well as giving the help of fellowship?
    • Principles: Unity, anonymity, humility, grace, willingness

One of the things we’re clear on in this program is that we’re not participating in “perfect AA” when examining any one of the parts of our whole.  On the other  hand, we are so much bigger than our parts through the application or our principle of unity.

Unity is perhaps one of those transcendent spiritual axioms which we’ve plugged into.