Gri Kitap Yansīmasī
The Eighth Step is a mighty stride away from a lie dominated by guilt and remorse.
Gray Book, p. 51 (Step Eight, Lines 14-16)
The Spiritual Principle of Willingness is the stride that will free us from the guilt we have been carrying all of our Lives. We write the list of those we have harmed only concerned with where we caused harm to people places and things. We make an Honest Assessment and Admission in the roles we played in all of our Relationships.
Although some of the people we have harmed have also us harmed us we still must become Willing to put them on our Eighth Step list. Many of us retaliated against those who mistreated us in an effort to get even. This old attitude has no room in our New Way Of Life in Narcotics Anonymous.
Seeing how we need to be Forgiven ourselves, often makes us more Forgiving toward others. Our Gray Book asks us "Are we willing, if it is possible and practical, to make amends; once, and for all, clear away the shadows of fear that our past holds for us?" We strive to Practice the Spiritual Principles of Narcotics Anonymous unconditionally and the stride we make in this Step is Unconditional Willingness. This allows to look the world in the eye with neither aggressiveness nor fear.
No longer condemned by our own guilt we are stepping out of a sea of isolation and into the land of the Living.
In This Moment: We will Pray for the Willingness to let go of guilt so our past behavior no longer dictate our present Freedom.