Minority Voices

Last month at our group conscience meeting we were deciding whether to change our meeting format. Most people wanted to keep things exactly as they've always been. But one person – new to the group just a few months – suggested we try rotating through different Al-Anon literature instead of reading the same book every week. Several people immediately dismissed the idea.

When we are open to hearing minority voices and ideas with full consideration we all benefit. I watched the person who made the suggestion shrink back. Their idea was minority opinion and it got shut down quickly. We didn't consider it fully. We just moved on to the majority preference. And I wonder what we lost by not truly listening.

Maybe the idea wouldn't have worked. Maybe the majority preference was better. But we'll never know because we didn't give full consideration to the minority voice. And that person probably won't share ideas again. We lost their perspective their creativity their contribution.

Concept Five asks us to truly listen to minority voices – not just tolerate them but consider them fully. Because we all benefit when every voice is heard.

At the next group conscience meeting, I can practice listening fully to minority opinions even when I disagree. Not just waiting for my turn to explain why the majority is right, but genuinely considering what the minority voice offers. We all benefit from true consideration.