The process of discovering the Steps as being very much like the way that miners of old would use a canary to test the air in the coal mine. In the days before mineshafts had proper ventilation, miners would bring a canary in a cage down with them whenever forging into a new area of the mine. Canaries are more sensitive to poisonous gases than human beings, so as long as the canary was alive, the miners knew the air in the new area was safe to breathe. If the canary stopped singing, the miners knew it was time to get out of that part of the mine.
The canary was not a toxicologist, or whatever expert you would consult in order to determine whether or not air is safe to breathe. A canary is just a bird—a bird that, when it breathes poison, happens to die quicker than a human.
The early pioneers of recovery were the subjects of their own experimentation, because they had to be. Those who survived saw what did and did not work. If a certain idea or practice is spiritually harmful to human beings, the addict would be the first to show symptoms. If a certain idea or practice promotes spiritual wellness in human beings, it would be evident in the addict by his or her relief from the compulsion to use.
Post a Comment
Post a Comment