Been thinking again. Yep, in spite of what my betters tell me. 
     Durnig a  discussion period at our last mens roving stag meeting a newcomer went off on a bit of a tirade about his reasons to drink and not drink (more to than not) and ended it as to how anybody that says they have 10-20-30 years of sobriety is lying, as they probably had a few over the years and just didn't want to tell.
     The man after him - whom I have the honor of calling a friend and just happens to have 20+ years of serious honest sobriety looked at  him and said "Why don't you just go out and get drunk and get it over with - since you're setting yourself up for it anyway. Nor does it matter to me if you believe me or not.". Needless to say the focus of the meeting shifted and said newcomers comments became the object of some serious commentary and reflection.
     It got me to thinking afterward about the "Rigorous Honesty" part of the program and the converse derivation - "Implicit Trust". When I first came in out of the cold, I too, found it difficult to believe that people actually abstained from drinking for more that say - 20 minutes. Much less 20 years.
     One of the things I as a newcomer had to get a grip on in this program is that the majority of people in it are deadly serious about the "sober" part. 
     That is where we have to develop the "faith" that when somone says they have that longevity in recovery - we can trust without question the veracity of that statement. We then learn to see how to recognize the ones who "walk the walk". Those are the ones we tie ourselves to - ones we implicitly trust. Knowing they will not make false claims and will offer honest guidance to the best of their abilities.
     Something that I among many had difficulty in accepting before  - I now accept without question! Truly amazing, isn't it.
     The newcomer callled the next day to make amends for his actions at the meeting. I told him I was not offended, was glad he didn't go out and drink and to keep coming back. Because you see, I care very much about him, would like to see him succeed in sobriety, and didn't take any offense because I don't care if he believes me or not - what he thinks about me is not any of my business.

Nuff said - and you all have a wonderful weekend,
Dennis