“the conviction grew that A.A.’s had to hang together or die separately” (Foreword to the Second Edition)
Tradition One requires unity. But unity does not require uniformity: quite the reverse.
To maintain unity despite lack of uniformity requires me to observe four principles:
- Patience (silently suffering things not being how I would like them)
- Tolerance (not trying to change anyone else or divert them from their path)
- Flexibility (broadening the range of the acceptable)
- Yielding (not opposing the majority)
This makes for a more peaceful time.