The following appears in a discussion of the Fourth Step, "Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves," from another anonymous 12 Step program:
"Our failings generate fear, a soulsickness in its own right. Then fear, in turn, generates more character defects:
Unreasonable fear that our instincts will not be satisfied drives us to covet the possessions of others, to lust for sex and power, to become angry when our instinctive demands are threatened, to be envious when the ambitions of others seem to be realized while ours our not.
We grab for more of everything than we need, fearing we shall never have enough. And with geneuine alarm at the prospect of work, we stay lazy. We loaf and procrastinate, or at best work grudgingly and under halfsteam. These fears are the termites that ceaselessly devour the foundation of whatever sort of life we try to build.
So, we suggest a fearless and moral inventory. . ."
FEAR TOPICS
1. What unreasonable fears do I have?
2. How are my fears preventing me from having a happier life?
3. What am I afraid that I may lose?
4. What am I afraid of that I may not have enough of?
5. What action do I think I should take in order to dispel my fears?
6. Why am I afraid to change my behavior?