From polarized political ideologies to racism, classism, sexism and homophobia, it sometimes seems like the fragile threads that hold a society together are near the breaking point. It is almost enough to make a happy person in recovery relapse. Except - that at the heart of most recovery programs is a philosophy of tolerance, empathy, and service to others. It begins with us. In recovery we learn to get out of our own heads and reach out to help others. Besides the obvious benefits of abstaining from drugs and alcohol, we receive the gifts of empathy and tolerance - even when we don’t agree politically, socially, or culturally, we serve ourselves and the world at large by accepting others and not just tolerating - but embracing our differences.