“Keep it simple stupid”
I wake up my mind each day by reading emails from friends who often challenge me, listening to podcasts on which creative people think outside the box and listening to the local, national and international news or what passes for news.
This morning: A new DA is coming to SF whose parents were former members of the radical Weatherman group and who have been imprisoned for years; a new movie entitled “Bombshell” about sexual harassment is coming to a theater near most of us; locally a young man is sentenced for murder for up to 25 years (related I think to addiction); news of the potential impeachment of the President of US; reports of attempts to radically change how the government functions in the Ukraine; reports of mother nature reminding all who is in charge; announcement the United States is creating yet another new branch of the military; and reports of amazing acts of seasonal generosity as well as quiet stories of those who practice sharing all year.
In my work with those who are using various version of the original 12 steps of alcoholic anonymous to heal from addictive thinking and behavior, I am often reminded to “keep it simple stupid”. I attempt to apply this principle to my experience of the world in which I live this life journey. Perhaps, I say to myself, keeping it simple really does mean, as many seem to believe, that one can experiences the world as good people and bad people, criminals and non-criminals, right thinking and wrong thinking, and so on. Yet, in the 12-step program “keeping it simple” is not applied in that manner. Those working the 12 steps are encouraged to be accountable without shame, gnashing of teeth or other forms of punishment, to make amends when to do so would not cause further harm and to practice doing the best one can do today.
I do understand that if one believes those who practice sexual harassment are bad people who need punishment; if those who murder are without the possibility of redemption and Grace; if those who sexually abuse children have a choice and are not controlled by an unwanted compulsive urge; if those who benefit at the expense of others are just evil/bad people; if we can neatly divide the world into those who choose to be righteous/moral and those who choose to avoid responsivity for the collective welfare then life if very simple. Yet, actually it is very simple only until it is us who are labeled and thrust into the box of bad/evil/immoral people.
Those who understand Grace from a Buddhist perspective, a Christian perspective or from some other philosophical or theological perspective would claim that the more we are able to accept our shared humanness the more we are able to learn from actions which are hurtful and cause less hurt in the future.
Keeping it simple could mean that we focus on finding ways to help each other accept that punishing ourselves and each other is emotionally, financially, spiritual and economically expensive without any long-term benefits. Committing ourselves to accepting our shared humanness would seem to lead to an effort to discover how we can help each other be our best. When there are conditions which make it impossible for one to make decisions which benefit the community as a whole – various brain disorder – compassion (and what science is teaching us) would dictate that we treat those individuals with great love and not judgement.
This approach is consistent with the radical teachings of the founders of the 12-step program as well as radical thinkers such as Jesus and the Buddha. As many of us step towards Christmas and other religious holidays perhaps the greatest challenge is to follow the simple teachings of Jesus to love our enemy, to not judge others, and to forgive 70 times 7.
It is ironic that keeping it simple stupid should seem so complicated to so many of us.
Written December 18, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
doachpickett.org
I wake up my mind each day by reading emails from friends who often challenge me, listening to podcasts on which creative people think outside the box and listening to the local, national and international news or what passes for news.
This morning: A new DA is coming to SF whose parents were former members of the radical Weatherman group and who have been imprisoned for years; a new movie entitled “Bombshell” about sexual harassment is coming to a theater near most of us; locally a young man is sentenced for murder for up to 25 years (related I think to addiction); news of the potential impeachment of the President of US; reports of attempts to radically change how the government functions in the Ukraine; reports of mother nature reminding all who is in charge; announcement the United States is creating yet another new branch of the military; and reports of amazing acts of seasonal generosity as well as quiet stories of those who practice sharing all year.
In my work with those who are using various version of the original 12 steps of alcoholic anonymous to heal from addictive thinking and behavior, I am often reminded to “keep it simple stupid”. I attempt to apply this principle to my experience of the world in which I live this life journey. Perhaps, I say to myself, keeping it simple really does mean, as many seem to believe, that one can experiences the world as good people and bad people, criminals and non-criminals, right thinking and wrong thinking, and so on. Yet, in the 12-step program “keeping it simple” is not applied in that manner. Those working the 12 steps are encouraged to be accountable without shame, gnashing of teeth or other forms of punishment, to make amends when to do so would not cause further harm and to practice doing the best one can do today.
I do understand that if one believes those who practice sexual harassment are bad people who need punishment; if those who murder are without the possibility of redemption and Grace; if those who sexually abuse children have a choice and are not controlled by an unwanted compulsive urge; if those who benefit at the expense of others are just evil/bad people; if we can neatly divide the world into those who choose to be righteous/moral and those who choose to avoid responsivity for the collective welfare then life if very simple. Yet, actually it is very simple only until it is us who are labeled and thrust into the box of bad/evil/immoral people.
Those who understand Grace from a Buddhist perspective, a Christian perspective or from some other philosophical or theological perspective would claim that the more we are able to accept our shared humanness the more we are able to learn from actions which are hurtful and cause less hurt in the future.
Keeping it simple could mean that we focus on finding ways to help each other accept that punishing ourselves and each other is emotionally, financially, spiritual and economically expensive without any long-term benefits. Committing ourselves to accepting our shared humanness would seem to lead to an effort to discover how we can help each other be our best. When there are conditions which make it impossible for one to make decisions which benefit the community as a whole – various brain disorder – compassion (and what science is teaching us) would dictate that we treat those individuals with great love and not judgement.
This approach is consistent with the radical teachings of the founders of the 12-step program as well as radical thinkers such as Jesus and the Buddha. As many of us step towards Christmas and other religious holidays perhaps the greatest challenge is to follow the simple teachings of Jesus to love our enemy, to not judge others, and to forgive 70 times 7.
It is ironic that keeping it simple stupid should seem so complicated to so many of us.
Written December 18, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
doachpickett.org
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