"Money"

I was having fellowship at a local coffee shop after a meeting the other night. There were five of us and we took over a corner of the place. Depending on what kind of a mood we're all in and how good the meeting was, we can get a little loud sometimes. We haven't ever been kicked out, but I think it would be hilarious if we were. I mean, think about it--being sober and asked to leave? As opposed to being asked to leave because we're too fucked up? If it ever does happen, you'll read about here :)

Our conversations are usually Recovery-oriented, but they can go all over the place. Someone mentioned a reality show they saw on TV. Several of us in the group had to be brought up to speed, either because we don't watch reality shows or don't watch TV period (like myself). We talked about how fake reality TV shows are, how they're edited down and the producers only show you what they want you to see. Someone in the group mentioned that on a lot of reality shows, the crew buy drinks for the cast, encouraging them to get drunk so that there's more drama and that the show's more exciting. That led us to talk about shows like 'Intervention' and the other rehab & recovery related programs.

Now as I mentioned, I don't watch TV, but I have talked with many people who watch those shows and think they're great. One of my sponsees is a big fan of Dr. Drew. Personally, I don't like the idea of anyone capitalizing off of 12-steps. I think of it as a violation of the Traditions, but more than that I feel that one of the main reasons 12-steps works is specifically because you don't have to pay gobs of money for it. With all the commercialism in our culture, all the emphasis on buying things, the spiritual is something that so often gets dropped by the wayside. You can't buy faith. You can't buy God.

We were all debating this subject. Some felt as I did. Others thought the TV shows were good because they spread awareness, that they’re a valid way to carry the message. I disagreed; no matter what else a TV show might do, it's primary purpose is to make money, not to heal the spirits of broken souls suffering from the disease. I mentioned my blog and how Google is always giving me the opportunity to monetize it and sell advertising space. I never will. I don't write this blog to make money, I do it to share my experience, strength and hope. Writing this blog is about keeping myself sober and helping others to find what I have found--the same reasons as why I go to meetings.

As I was making this point, the following came out of my mouth: "We don't go to get rich, we go to get better." We all stopped for a brief moment. I'd crystallized it. That was the heart of the matter, right there.

It frustrates me so much that our culture has such a hard-on for making everything into a commodity. It wouldn't surprise me if one day we have the ‘opportunity’ to pay more for better air so we don't have to breathe that crappy "free" air. I don't like mega-churches that bring in big bucks. I really don't like old cathedrals covered in jewels and gold. To me, the spiritual is something that can't be bought.

The Traditions exist for a reason. The founders of AA arrived at them through trial and error and found that they work, and they discovered that charging people for this spiritual program doesn’t work so good. Meetings make just enough money to keep afloat, with maybe a little extra to pass on to the larger organizations. People can come in to a meeting and get the help they need without any obligation. If they want to, they can contribute a dollar or two. There's no admission fee. You don't have to pay your sponsor to take you through the twelve steps. You don't collect a salary for being General Secretary. As it is with the steps, we do it like this for a reason--because it works.