The Tao – Step 7The Tao – Step 7
Tao of Our understanding Alcohol Recovery Podcast
A small group of men in 12-step recovery talk about Step 7 through Taoist ideas of humility, surrender and kindness, using real-life stories and humour. The conversation links the Tao Te Ching with practical actions that shift fear and ego into service and compassion.
31:30•11 May 2026
Step 7, the Tao, and Letting Change Happen
Episode Overview
- Step 7 is framed less as defects magically disappearing and more as humbly asking, then acting differently when new situations arise.
- "God helps those who help themselves" is questioned, with the focus shifted from working harder to fully surrendering and allowing help.
- Stories from daily life, like fear of lifts or difficult drivers, show how choosing compassion over fear can quietly remove longstanding anxieties.
- Verses from the Tao Te Ching emphasise letting, emptiness and acceptance, which the group link directly to living Steps 6 and 7.
- True generosity and trust are described as extending kindness even to those who seem undeserving, much like water nourishing everything without judgement.
“"Her fear was removed not by some miraculous, just, I'm there, it's all me, it's removed. No. She had to choose to live compassionately."”
What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? This conversation from the Tao of Our Understanding Alcohol Recovery Podcast looks at Step 7 through a Taoist lens, with a relaxed men's group feel that many in 12-step recovery will recognise. Host Buddy C chats with Brian, Drew and Lou about the line, "Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings," and what that actually looks like in daily life.
Rather than magic wands and instant fixes, they talk about willingness, surrender, and being given chances to act differently. Buddy highlights a powerful AA story of a woman terrified of lifts who prays for help, steps in anyway, and ends up comforting another frightened woman. As he puts it, "Her fear was removed not by some miraculous, just, I'm there, it's all me, it's removed. No.
She had to choose to live compassionately." The group link Step 7 with verses from the Tao Te Ching, especially the idea of "letting" rather than forcing: "If you want to become whole, let yourself be partial." They joke about misquoted Bible lines like "God helps those who help themselves," using humour to defuse spiritual confusion while keeping things grounded and practical.
Drew brings in the image of water, which nourishes everyone without judging who deserves it, as a picture of true generosity and trust. They connect this to everyday annoyances like aggressive drivers or people asking for money, asking honestly: am I choosing fear and resentment, or am I willing to act from kindness, even when it doesn't suit my ego?
The style is conversational, candid and gently funny, aimed at people in 12-step recovery who are curious about a broader, less rigid view of a Higher Power. If you're working the steps or rethinking what "humbly asking" might mean, this chat may leave you wondering where you could choose love over fear today.
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