Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

STEP FOUR

We want to find exactly how, when, and where our natu-
ral desires have warped us. We wish to look squarely at the
unhappiness this has caused others and ourselves. By dis-
covering what our emotional deformities are, we can move
toward their correction. Without a willing and persistent
effort to do this, there can be little sobriety or contentment
for us. Without a searching and fearless moral inventory,
most of us have found that the faith which really works in
daily living is still out of reach.

Before tackling the inventory problem in detail, let's
have a closer look at what the basic problem is. Simple ex-
amples like the following take on a world of meaning when
we think about them. Suppose a person places sex desire
ahead of everything else. In such a case, this imperious
urge can destroy his chances for material and emotional
security as well as his standing in the community. Another
may develop such an obsession for financial security that
he wants to do nothing but hoard money. Going to the ex-
treme, he can become a miser, or even a recluse who denies
himself both family and friends.

Nor is the quest for security always expressed in terms of
money. How frequently we see a frightened human being
determined to depend completely upon a stronger person
for guidance and protection. This weak one, failing to meet
life's responsibilities with his own resources, never grows
up. Disillusionment and helplessness are his lot. In time
all his protectors either flee or die, and he is once more left
alone and afraid.

We have also seen men and women who go power-mad,
who devote themselves to attempting to rule their fellows.