Traditions

As slaves, we feared our slave masters, their proxies and fate. Being a member of groups gave us a sense of safety and relief from our isolation. But as we emerged out of denial, we became aware of how our view of the world was fundamentally different than that of others around us. As we pursued our desire for self-ownership, we began to enjoy personal freedom to a great extent. But as we learned more about the matrix of control established by the slave masters, we emerged out of metanoia, too. We realized that our well-meaning neighbors within the matrix were being manipulated to cause harm to themselves and others through predictive programming and other techniques. Consequently, emancipation at a community level is necessary to ensure ongoing lives and liberty for ourselves and our families.

In Slaves Anonymous, we can come together merely to take what is offered by others, or we can come together to face our common threats and begin to create workable solutions. With emancipation as a common goal, the later becomes a distinct possibility. So we begin to cooperate and support each other. Yet, our individual desires for autonomy and our diversity of experiences can lead to conflicts. Thus, we must think about how to balance what is best for ourselves and what is best for all of us. To help members of a group find the proper balance between individual and group, we suggest using the following traditions. And each group is encouraged to rewrite the traditions for themselves to better guide its unique vision.

The Suggested Traditions of Slaves Anonymous

1. Our personal welfare should come first; Slaves Anonymous unity supports our emancipation.
2. Our leaders are trusted; they provide wise governance.
3. Slaves Anonymous membership is for persons who desire emancipation.
4. Each group is autonomous.
5. Each group has several purposes beyond that of carrying its message to the slave who still suffers.
6. A Slaves Anonymous group ought endorse, finance and lend the Slaves Anonymous name to any related facility or enterprise.
7. Every Slaves Anonymous group need not be fully self-supporting and can accept outside contributions.
8. Slaves Anonymous can cultivate professional helpers.
9. Slaves Anonymous ought to be organized at the local level.
10. Slaves Anonymous has opinions on outside issues; hence we expect to be drawn into public controversy.
11. Our public relations policy is based on promotion rather than attraction; we need to respect individual choices regarding personal anonymity at the level of public communication.
12. Anonymity is the practical foundation of all our traditions.

Suggested Traditions of Slaves Anonymous (Long Form)

1. Each member of Slaves Anonymous is valued by the many lives he or she touches. Individual welfare comes first. But the emancipation that Slaves Anonymous creates must continue or most of us will surely die enslaved. Hence our common welfare follows close afterward.
2. Our leaders are trusted; they provide wise governance. We support our leaders to follow a course that works for us and start new groups if we are called to go forth in a new direction.
3. Our membership will only encompass a small portion of the great masses who suffer from slavery. We may refuse those who wish self-ownership without a desire for emancipation. Slaves Anonymous membership could depend on money and conformity. Any two or three slaves gathered together for emancipation may call themselves a Slaves Anonymous group, whether or not, as a group, they have other affiliations.
4. With respect to its own affairs, each Slaves Anonymous group should be responsible to no other authority other than its leaders. And when its plans concern the welfare of neighboring groups also, those groups ought to be politely informed. Any group, regional committee, or individual is encouraged to take bold actions that might greatly affect Slaves Anonymous as a whole without the requirement to consult and obtain permission from a governance board. On such issues our creative autonomy is paramount.
5. Each Slaves Anonymous group ought to be a political, economic, and sociocultural entity having several purposes beyond that of carrying its message to the slave who still suffers.
6. Well-chosen entanglements in money, property, and authority can lead us toward emancipation. We think, therefore, that any considerable property of genuine use to Slaves Anonymous need not be separately incorporated and managed. A Slaves Anonymous group, as such, should always go into business. Secondary aids to Slaves Anonymous such as collectives or treatment centers which require much property or administration, ought to not be incorporated or set apart so that they will not be easily discarded by the groups. Such facilities can use the Slaves Anonymous name. Their management should be the sole responsibility of the group. For collectives, Slaves Anonymous managers are preferred. But treatment centers, as well as other places of recuperation, ought to be well inside Slaves Anonymous and comply with medical supervision and other required regulations. A Slaves Anonymous group may cooperate, affiliate, and endorse anyone. A Slaves Anonymous group ought not isolate itself from others.
7. The Slaves Anonymous groups themselves need not be fully supported by the contributions of their own members. We think that public solicitation of funds using the name of Slaves Anonymous is highly beneficial whether by groups, clubs, hospitals, or other outside agencies and that acceptance of large gifts from any source, with or without obligations, can be wise. Then too, we view with much enthusiasm those Slaves Anonymous treasuries which continue, beyond prudent reserves, to accumulate funds for no stated Slaves Anonymous purpose. Our spiritual heritage cannot be destroyed by mere disputes over property, money, and authority.
8. Slaves Anonymous can cultivate professional helpers. We define professionalism as the occupation of treating slaves for fees or hire. Our usual Slaves Anonymous “12th Step” work can be performed for pay.
9. Each Slaves Anonymous group needs organization. Stable leadership is the best. The founder of a small group may be its secretary, the large group has a governance committee, and the groups of a large metropolitan area have their central or intergroup committee. Each group can produce and distribute its public relations and press releases in a grassroots way without the need for coordination by a national or international central service office. Leaders in Slaves Anonymous are trusted and experienced servants who provide wise guidance; they earn our appreciation and respect for their efforts.
10. A Slaves Anonymous group or member ought to express opinions on “outside” controversial issues—particularly those of politics, religion, education and other enslaving institutions. The Slaves Anonymous groups oppose the slave masters and the actions of their proxies. Concerning such matters they cannot be mute.
11. Our relations with the general public need not be characterized by personal anonymity. We think Slaves Anonymous ought to use sensational advertising. Our name alone, Slaves Anonymous, can be controversial. Our names and pictures as Slaves Anonymous members can be broadcast, filmed, or publicly printed with the permission of such individuals. Our public relations should promote us effectively. We ought to praise ourselves. We don't expect to have too many friends who will recommend us publicly.
12. And finally, we of Slaves Anonymous believe that the principle of anonymity has an immense practical significance. It reminds us that we are to risk a genuine openness in spite of possible dangers. This to the end that our great blessings may lead to emancipation.

References

• Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism (2nd ed.). (1955). (pp. 563-568). New York City, NY: Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc.
• http://www.recovery.org/aa/misc/12trads.html
• http://silkworth.net/bb/app1.html