How Anonymous?

My sponsor and I recently studied the Traditions.

How anonymous?

How much do I say about my recovery? How open of a book should I be?

It isn’t about keeping my business private, to protect my security or privacy or integrity. It is about protecting the honor and integrity of that name I carry. It is the honor of the shield in my hand.

If I announce to all how powerful my shield is, and then I fall in battle, what will they say of my shield?

It was not strong enough.

It is not good steel.

It was poorly made.

They will tell each other and their children the story of the steel that did not work, and the soldier who died as a result. The fable will be a grave mistake because it will omit the part where the soldier became willful and was tricked, by a cunning and baffling old idea, and set down the shield. When the soldier said “no, I have something better than that”, or “no, that shield won’t save me, it doesn’t matter if I hold it or not”.

I gave up on

the shield, it did not give

up on me.