Page 7 - The Twelve Concepts for World Service
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background for this Concept, you should be
A familiar with the Conference Charter and the
Bylaws of the General Service Board, both of which
are found in The A.A. Service Manual. For, except for
the specific directions in these documents, every
trusted servant and every A.A. entity — at all levels of
service — has the right “to decide . . . how they will
interpret and apply their own authority and respon-
sibility to each particular problem or situation as it
arises.” That is, they can “decide which problems they
will dispose of themselves and upon which matters
they will report, consult, or ask specific directions.”
This is “the essence of ‘The Right of Decision.’”
But this right also means the Fellowship must have
trust in its “trusted servants.” If the groups instruct
their G.S.R.s rather than giving them a “Right of
Decision,” then the area conference is hamstrung.
If the G.S.R.s instruct the area delegates rather than
giving them a “Right of Decision,” then the General
Service Conference is hamstrung. As Bill points out,
“our Conference delegates are primarily the servants
of A.A. as they should . . . cast their votes . . . according
to the best dictates of their own judgment and
conscience at that time.”
Similarly, if the General Service Board, acting
through its subsidiary boards, “were to attempt to
manage” the General Service Office and the A.A.
Grapevine “in detail, then . . . the staff members . . .
would quickly become demoralized; they would be
turned into buck-passers and rubber stamps; their
choice would be to rebel and resign, or to submit
and rot.”
Bill warns against using “The Right of Decision”
as an excuse for failure to make the proper reports of
actions taken; or for exceeding a clearly defined
authority; or for failing to consult the proper people
before making an important decision. But he
concludes:
“Our entire A.A. program rests squarely upon
the principle of mutual trust. We trust God, we
trust A.A., and we trust each other.”