Good morning, everyone!

We are at the bottom of page 63, last paragraph:

"Next we launched out on a course of vigorous action, the first step
of which is a personal housecleaning which many of us had never
attempted. Though our decision [Step 3] was a vital and crucial
step, it could have no permanent effect unless at once followed by a
strenuous effort to face, and to be rid of, the things which had
been blocking us. Our liquor was but a symptom. So we had to get
down to causes and conditions."

So, we don't wait a year to move from Step 3 to Step 4. That is the
meaning of "next," right? Remember, our decision is of little value
unless it is accompanied by action -- vigorous action.

What is the purpose of Step 4? In this step we will identify and get
rid of those things that had been blocking us. From what? Blocking
us from God's grace and our ability to live happy, joyous, and free.

Here again is where many people get tripped up. Step 4 - Made a
searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. First, let's
examine the word "fearless". Bill was, at heart, a businessman. He
wrote from a businessman's perspective in this case. When conducting
an inventory for a grocery store, for example, we look to be rid of
damaged, rotten, and unsalable goods that prevent us from being
profitable. From a businessman's perspective "fearless" means without
regret, without emotion. When we discard a rotten head of cabbage we
have no emotional attachment to it, we just get rid of it so that we
can put a nice fresh head of cabbage in it's place. We need to treat
the things that block us from God's grace in the same way as the
rotten head of cabbage.

Next, let's look at the word "moral". Immediately the alcoholic
thinks of the Sunday Preacher pointing out the moral decay and
failings in his flock. In this context, however, we should really
equate "moral" with truth - the truth about the stock in trade.

Let's look at paragraph 1 on page 64:

"Taking a commercial inventory is a fact-finding [searching] and a
fact-facing [fearless] process. It is an effort to discover the
truth [moral] about the stock-in-trade."

So we are identifying all that prevents us from being a successful
enterprise, from having a shot at a happy and useful existence. "If
the owner of the business is to be successful, he cannot fool
himself about values."

In other words we have to become honest with ourselves about
ourselves.

We begin by searching out the flaws in our makeup that caused our
failure. "Being convinced that self, manifested in various ways, was
what had defeated us, we considered its common manifestations." What
did we learn earlier? "Selfishness - Self-centeredness. That we
think, is the root of our troubles." There it is again--self, not
alcohol, was the problem. Alcohol was a symptom.

With our next post we'll discuss the roots of resentment and
thoroughly define that which AA believes to be the number one
offender.

Have a great day!

Jim