"You will not be punished for your anger. You will be punished by your anger" Buddha
What do we do when we're dealing with someone so angry that they threaten to kill us? I ask this question because for those of us in the recovery field this happens every once in a while.
The Big Book clearly states on page 84 that "We ceased fighting anyone or anything..." But if we follow this statement does that mean that we just roll over and not defend ourselves? It's not an easy question to answer, not without splitting some philosophical hairs.
After all, we got into recovery so we could live in serenity. Yet, here were are faced with having our lives taken by an angry addict. And while many times the person may be blowing off steam, one never knows when someone will act on their anger.
I learned during my years of incarceration to take every threat seriously. Regardless if the person was considered dangerous or not, one never knew whether they would act on their threat. And the situation would be dealt with appropriately.
But in the world of recovery, we no longer can take matters into our own hands if we want to live in peace and serenity.
So the solution for me is to let the law deal with threats; after all, that's why we pay taxes. And on the last three occasions, we've either put the offenders in jail or placed restraining orders upon them.
And while sometimes that doesn't satisfy the more primitive part of my brain, my sober self tells me that living with the bounds of the law is the right thing to do today.
Click here to email John
