Step Nine does not stop with the person receiving the amends. It adds “or others.”
That phrase recognizes that our lives are connected. Revealing one secret may affect a spouse, child, business partner, victim, or someone who never agreed to become involved. An amends between two people can create consequences for a room full of people who are not present.
It is like pulling one cord from a tangled box of Christmas lights. The cord in our hand may be attached to five others underneath. Pulling harder does not make the connections disappear.
“Others” widens the view beyond our own relief and the immediate conversation. It reminds us that responsibility includes noticing who else could be standing in the path of the truth we are about to release.
Who might “others” include when an amends is being considered?
