March 3

Interdependence and Our Primary Purpose

Page 65

"The group depends on its members, and members depend on the group being true to its purpose."

Guiding Principles, Tradition Five, "Spiritual Principles"

Our interdependence and its significance become clear when we reflect on our group-level service. We come to see how our primary purpose feeds our mutual needs. "I need the group and the group needs me," as one member put it. Taken together, our individual contributions create a fertile atmosphere in which recovery blossoms. And we bloom, too, as our support for the necessary tasks of maintaining a group elevates our personal recovery.

Our own gut instinct may inspire some of us to get involved in service. For others, being cornered by a seasoned home-group member who doesn't let us run away after the "We're having a business meeting today!" announcement provides the inspiration. No matter what gets us to our first group business meeting--or any other service meeting--NA service can teach us a great deal about interdependence. As a group, we can't function without members performing necessary tasks. As individuals, contributing to those tasks improves our own functioning and emboldens us to recruit others to help carry the message. Offering our time, effort, attention, perspectives--and cornering other members--keeps us alive and focused on our primary purpose.

"I had less than two months clean when I went to my first group business meeting," an addict shared. "The group was voting on motions for the World Service Conference, and they asked my opinion, saying the newcomer perspective was important. It occurred to me that there were home groups like this all around the world, talking about the same issues and sharing their perspectives--I felt connected to NA in a big way."

Whether discussing global issues in the Fellowship or local ones, our voices as members and as groups are important. Each segment of our Fellowship does its part so that we, as members, have a place to share in carrying the message of hope and recovery. Our common welfare benefits from every contribution we make and every commitment we undertake. Embracing interdependence energizes unity and vitalizes our own well-being.

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At any given moment, a newcomer or seasoned member somewhere is experiencing the same message that saved my life. In NA service, I am a part of that.