But the moment passed too quickly. Now we stand, not united, but as a country of red and blue states, a land of "we" and "they." Many pundits have described the current political climate as the third most divisive in the history of our nation, exceeded only by the Civil War and the conflict over Vietnam.

It doesn't have to be this way. As millions of recovering alcoholics have demonstrated since 1935, when the first Alcoholics Anonymous group was formed in Akron, Ohio, it is possible for a group of disparate individuals from all walks of life to come together in a small room without rage or resentment toward each other.

"In 20 years of AA, I've never once experienced antagonism because of personal differences," said Rick R. "The only arguments I've witnessed aren't because someone is rich or poor or black or white; they're because someone isn't being truthful to themselves or to the group about their addiction. You don't come to a mutual-help meeting as a Republican or Democrat or a millionaire or a bum; you come as someone who is trying to stay clean and sober. You're no better and you're no worse than the person sitting next to you, but you're all better for being there and for trying."

The first tradition of Alcoholics Anonymous states, "Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends on AA unity." In other words, we must work together to survive. We embrace this philosophy easily enough in times of crisis, but abandon it too quickly when the crisis has passed.

"The humility that addiction brings is sadly missing in American politics today," said Jim Ramstad, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota and a recovering alcoholic. "Unfortunately, the unity that all Americans felt following 9/11 has been replaced by the politics of division. There's too much rancor and bitterness. People aren't listening to what's being said by the other side or searching for some common ground. Total honesty on both sides of the aisle would be a great substitute for political spin."

When members in a mutual-support group tell their stories, the other members listen with respect, total attention, and without judgment. "You listen deeply and wait for them to become themselves, and eventually you hear just the word or the story that you needed to hear," said Rick.

It has been said that to be humble is to be teachable. When we suspend our own agendas and listen to each other's stories and ideas with respect and humility, everyone can benefit and everyone can grow and learn from the experience.

A Chinese proverb says, "If there is right in the soul, there will be beauty in the person; if there is beauty in the person, there will be harmony in the home; if there is harmony in the home, there will be peace in the world." Likewise, Step Twelve encourages recovering people to practice the principles of recovery in all their affairs--to "walk the walk," not just "talk the talk."

In politics, this might mean stepping across the aisle to work with someone from another party on an issue of mutual concern. This is what happened when Rep. Ramstad, a Republican, joined forces with the late Sen. Paul Wellstone, a Democrat, to lead the effort on Capitol Hill when they sought parity for insurance coverage of addiction. "They used to call us the odd couple, because of our respective politics, but there was nobody better to work with in the trenches than Paul," said Ramstad. "We discovered that you get better public policies enacted when you focus on commonalities rather than differences.

"Addiction and recovery are the great levelers," he continued. "They remind us that we are imperfect beings. We all have deficiencies and character flaws. It would be a lot easier to gain mutual support and establish a common ground if everyone practiced the principles of recovery. Could you imagine the good we could do if we could transform Congress into one big meeting of recovering people where people say what they mean and mean what they say?"

--Published October 4, 2004