Concept Seven
The Trustees have legal rights while the rights of the Conference are traditional.
Please share your experience, strength, and hope as it relates to Concept 7. The opinions expressed here are strictly those of the person who gave them. Take what you liked and leave the rest. Member sharing on the Member Blog may be used in future Al‑Anon publications.
I have shared a few times on Concept Seven, but this time a sentence taken from the book Reaching for Personal Freedom (P-92), Page: 149) that speaks about “finding the solution of conflict or disagreement with calm reasoning and the wisdom of the spiritual principles of the Al-Anon program” resonated with me. The timing was perfect, as it usually is in the program. This line brought back to me the reality of many changes that have come into my life since coming to the program. In respecting and acting according to the principles of the program, and most of all… Read more »
In one of our readings, relating to Concept Seven, it states something like that: ” try to find clarity in the part I play (role) and my duty in it (responsibilities).” This got my attention a while after being in the program. It is in being in service that it became real to me. I always thought my role in whatever was before me was of great importance, and the responsibilities at hand for the work to be done were all mine to take. I know today why it was like that. I had a disproportionate image of my own… Read more »
When I looked at Concept Seven, I have to look to what is legal and what is traditional in my life, so I can take the right measures concerning each one of them. Something came to mind as I was reading in the The Forum (July 2022) an article on the Seventh Concept. I am going through something similar and this article shed a new light in my situation and gave me a new perspective in what I had been going through. I realised that what I had done about it was right in line with Concept Seven. My son… Read more »
Concept Seven makes it clear for me where the legal rights and the traditional rights lay for me. When it comes to legal rights, I have always been responsible. Have I always done it with pleasure? Absolutely not. In the past, many times I faced my legal rights with griping and resentment. I felt cheated having to pay so much money for services that were not so obvious. Now, with the program, I do it, as I should. I act as a responsible person, accepting their realities. I can see and I accept that for the services rendered, I have… Read more »
“Experience shows that this balance of powers between the Trustees and the WSC is thoroughly workable.” – Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual 2018-2021 (p. 191) Balance of powers. Nothing ignites my rebellion quicker than someone tell me I can’t do something. Oh yeah? Watch me. Fortunately this over used asset is being tamed. A little rebellion gives me the courage to follow my instincts— blaze my own trail occasionally. The thing Al-Anon is teaching me is when to fly that rebellion flag… when to acquiesce to others ideas. When to be a part of or when to be apart from. Having the… Read more »
In the Workbook Reaching for Personal Freedom (P-92),in the reading on Concept Seven there is something about finding the balance between legal and traditional authority, and it encourages us to find clarity in our roles and responsibilities. What got my attention was the finding of clarity in my roles and responsibilities. I was taking a lot of space in any group or situation, prior to coming to Al-Anon, and I assumed, with great pride, all the responsibilities I could put my hand on. As for the legal rights, I was quite obedient as I wanted to stay out of trouble.… Read more »