Tradition 4

Tradition Four

It has been my experience that whenever someone brings up Tradition FOUR in a business meeting, things get predictable real quick.
First off, the member quoting the Tradition of autonomy, will NOT finish quoting the Tradition.  They will only state the first part of the short form about each group being autonomous, but the member will see fit to stop the quote there.
The NEXT thing out of their mouth will be a proposal of something that is probably not in alignment with one or more of the other 11 Traditions.
So, the first line will be quoted, and next, they immediately begin proposing something that  doesn't embrace the other Traditions, using the first line in T4 to justify it.
This is definitely the one Tradition us well meaning creative AAs try to use to justify breaking one or more of the others.
The 4th Tradition however, was never intended to override or void out, any of the others. The Traditions were meant to work together, not against each-other.
"The Fourth Tradition is like the Fourth Step: It suggests that the A.A. group should take honest inventory of itself, asking about each of its independently planned actions, “Would this break any Tradition?" 
-Quote from the 12 Traditions Illustrated 
T4 allows each group their own "customs and practices" NOT their own Steps and Traditions.
ie: clapping/no clapping.
1 hr meeting/1.5 hr meeting.
Birthdays at the end of Mtg/birthdays at the beginning...

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