Identify, Don't Compare

They said I needed to identify, not compare. I didn’t know what they meant. What was the difference? Identifying, they said, was trying to see how I was like the people I was with. Comparing, they told me, was looking for differences, usually seeing how I was better than others. ~ A.A. World Services Inc. Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition. A.A. World Services, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

I don't recall this bit of wisdom,
identify, don't compare.
obviously it's been far too long
since I read through the Big Book.
The way I would have described it,
familiar from frequent citations.
is that we don't stand on a ladder.
above most folk, lower than a few.
Identify: find the common ground
shared with another. Don't compare,
picking what feels alien, strange,
and distancing myself.
No, in program or out,
we are far better served as we identify
and eschew comparisons!
I put my hand in yours
and together we can do
what we could never do before.

Image by Katrina Edwards