Post-Modern Thoughts on Tradition One

Tradition One - Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon AA unity.

AA has no enforcement mechanisms other than primitive (natural?) forms of coercion, including ostracism, gossip, and backbiting. There is no court or tribunal to determine whether a group is "real" AA or not. According to the 12x12, the Traditions are principles learned from experience which are self-enforcing, like gravity or environmental science. To "deviate from" or ignore gravity is to invite injury. And yet, if someone didn't think long and hard about gravity and the fluid dynamics of atmosphere, then there would be no airplanes. Principles and lessons from experience are not to be followed blindly or religiously – they are to be used practically to achieve the things desired.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 130:

"The A.A. member has to conform to the principles of recovery. His life actually depends upon obedience to spiritual principles. If he deviates too far, the penalty is sure and swift; he sickens and dies. At first he goes along because he must, but later discovers a way of life he really wants to live. Moreover, he finds he cannot keep this priceless gift unless he gives it away. Neither he nor anybody else can survive unless he carries the A.A. message. The moment this Twelfth Step work forms a group, another discovery is made - that most individuals cannot recover unless there is a group. Realization dawns that he is but a small part of a great whole; that no personal sacrifice is too great for the preservation of the Fellowship. He learns that the clamor of desires and ambitions within him must be silenced whenever these could damage the group. It becomes plain that the group must survive or the individual will not."

Unity is not uniformity.

Do the thought experiment. Imagine a group where everyone subscribes to the same "program" and the same interpretation of said program... then imagine the power-drives and struggles for dominance by two or three members of the group who are trying to establish that they are more faithfully adhering to the tenets of said program, i.e., they are a better embodiment of the principles of said program. Power-drivers, ego-feeders, eternally hungry, never satisfied. Even though there is doctrinal unity, the group is divided.

Second thought experiment. Group has no doctrinal unity and everyone has a different way of looking at how they achieve and maintain personal sobriety. Some people do the steps, some don't. Some people get a sponsor, some won't. Same power-drivers and ego-feeders emerge, but the group smiles at them because there is no doctrine that the ego-feeders can use to put a good face on their bullying.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 129:

"We believe there isn't a fellowship on earth which lavishes more devoted care upon its individual members; surely there is none which more jealously guards the individual's right to think, talk, and act as he wishes. No A.A. can compel another to do anything; nobody can be punished or expelled. Our Twelve Steps to recovery are suggestions; the Twelve Traditions which guarantee A.A.'s unity contain not a single 'Don't.' They repeatedly say 'We ought...' but never 'You must!'"