pillar talk some more

[William Campbell]

Health is a great 5th pillar. I'm fine with adding as many as two more, should we think of any. Something about the sound of "7" pillars I like.

More to the point, the question of when service becomes conscription. Can one do good in the world even when doing it begrudgingly? Probably. Will that begrudging person derive a benefit from doing good? Probably not. What's the key? I think of that line "It's only work if you'd rather be doing something else". So how do you orient someone toward seeing the virtues of giving, so that they want to give?

One solution might be to create several appealing venues of service for new residents that are easy to hook in to. Perhaps a ready-to-eat taste of altruism will whet their appetites and that will settle the matter.

In any case, I think you make an excellent point: Should we scrap the service pillar?

[David Einerson]

The service pillar should not be scrapped. I believe it to be critical. Take the 12-step recovery model as an example. Whatever its shortcomings, it clearly produces sober, happy individuals willing to pass along what they were so freely given. The mechanism of sponsorship, which falls squarely within the realm of service, is how sobriety is passed along. Meetings are an introduction to recovery like MATS is an introduction to recovery. Neither is sufficient to build spiritually satisfied men and women. I posit spiritual satisfaction is the donut to the hole of addiction. Not meetings, not significant others, not religion. Relying upon these external sources is like the euphoria of using - short lived.
When the night rolls in, however, it is the spiritual confidence gained from having been of service today from which emerges a clean, happy, recovered addict. Service is already required of every person who wants to emerge happy from and into the next day. The service EPC provides every addict and non-addict alike is the wisdom of sponsorship in the form of telling each and every one that service is 1/4 the key to happiness. But, like everyone I have tried to get to use Google Docs, I can lead you to Google, but I cannot make you collaborate. EPC can lead the willing to the 4 pillars, but it cannot make the unwilling benefit.