Chapter 47

Sometimes a wise, quiet, humble leader will restrain his use of power for the good of others. A leader of this type would focus on the provision of intellectual stimulation to responsibly empower those around him and he would also try to set an example by doing what is right. It may be difficult to discern and isolate motives for this degree of constraint in the expression of ideas; though a true leader does what he knows is right despite an immediate ability to understand or appreciate the reasons why it is right.

Any expression of ideas exercises a definite influence upon the audience. One train of thought is almost always followed by its contradiction, and no feature known to our reasoning ability is immune to this. The term regression can be fairly applied to any process by which we submit to a selective interweaving of unconstructive fundamentals maladapted for the transformation of hope into certainty. I believe we should always move forward. The only time it is necessary to renounce all claims to the restitution of logical thought processes may be when the means of expression are regarded as meager in comparison with the health and happiness of those to whom it applies. The person is always more important than the idea.

Good ideas and thoughts should proceed with tolerable frequency in a normal method of presentation, and should not be guided or influenced by fear or intimidation. The common and easily accessible forms of expressing disagreement, if unchecked by wisdom, serve the purposes of representing impulses. Conceptions which stand in opposition to one another should eventually yield to an ideal of loving acceptance, tolerance, and love.

Everyone has a tendency to see the world and others only through their own needs. Here is another thought: In the business world, it is well known that a man with an obsession has very little sales resistance –and a similar principle here applies in recovery. Anyone who is obsessed with the veracity and proclamation of his own ideas at the expense of others has very little sales resistance to unrighteousness.