Step Nine: Made direct amends to such people whenever possible except when to do so would injure them or others.
As discussed in Step Eight, we made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all. On a personal level, I look at mistakes I’ve made and see what I can do to make it right. I clean up my side of the street. Are there debts owed financially, morally, spiritually? Do I need to forgive myself or others? What amends can I make that would not injure them or others?
The spiritual principle for Step Nine is forgiveness. Remember the spiritual principle for Step
Eight was Brotherly Love. I always say the steps are in order for a reason. Without Brotherly Love, we would not be prepared for forgiveness in Step Nine.
Here’s an example: I’ve placed Bob on my 8th step list. Bob was on my 4th step list also because Bob had been very mean to me as a kid, and I resented him for years about this. Resentment is our number one offender as alcoholics and if we don’t address our resentments, they will only fester. The amends I want to make to Bob is #1 forgive him for being a mean kid when he was younger, and #2 to let him know I no longer hold a resentment against him. A class reunion is on the horizon, and the opportunity presents itself. Remarkably, Bob has been burdened with his behavior for years. He takes this opportunity to tell me how sorry he is about how he treated me as a kid. I accepted his apology and made amends for my part being angry and distant from him all these years. Now we both can move forward with the powerful spiritual principles of forgiveness and brotherly love.
As we look at this step from a wider perspective, how have we caused harm to our nation? Have we been remiss in the candidates we’ve elected to represent us in Congress, the Senate, the Presidency? Have we been remiss in holding them accountable? Could we do better? Are there practices we could support that would help our fellow man? Could we as individuals forgive past governmental leadership for the harm they’ve done and instead move forward toward principles and policies that would prevent these harms continuing into future generations? In other words, are we going to join one of the two sides and cheer on the rhetoric that it’s the Democrats fault or it’s the Republican’s fault, and not take some personal responsibility in the future of our nation? WE HAVE CHOICES, and WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION as citizens of this nation to create a government that is responsible to US, not a nation that is responsible to the corporate interests of the uni-party (Democrats and Republicans).
This election year is different. There’s a new lane besides Democrat or Republican. It’s a year where we can join a truly independent movement and unite this country based on principles found in a 12-step program. Principles like: acceptance, hope, faith, courage, honesty, willingness, humility, brotherly love, forgiveness, integrity, self-discipline, and service.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. freely admits his experiences with addiction and the spiritual awakening he has gained through his 40-year involvement in a 12-step program. If you watch any video with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. that hasn’t been edited and reformatted by a nefarious news network, you will see these principles shine through. His honesty, willingness, courage, brotherly love, self-discipline, and his strong desire to be of service to this nation show what true leadership is all about. Just look at his career as an environmental lawyer to see what he believes is important to our nation.
If you believe that the President of a country will make a difference in the benefit to its people, I ask you to do your part. Educate yourself about the proposed policies of each presidential candidate. If you go to https://www.kennedy24.com and click on the Policies tab, you will find valuable information about the policies RFK, Jr. has proposed to heal our nation. I also encourage you to watch a video of the Vice President candidate with Mr. Kennedy – Nicole Shanahan. First TV Sit Down with RFK Jr.’s VP Nicole Shanahan (Full Interview) (youtube.com)
The Democrats have had their chance these last four years. The Republicans had their chance the previous four years. And both parties have had their chances for decades. I hear many people say they are selecting their presidential choice as the lesser of two evils. I refuse to do that! I am choosing the best choice this election cycle—Kennedy/Shanahan. This is the team that is addressing the issues that really matter to me.
Let us move forward with the spiritual principles of forgiveness and brotherly love and return America to the strong and beautiful country it once was, for ourselves, and for our future generations.
