A new comer asked his sponsor about the difference between a non-alcoholic, a potential-alcoholic, and the hopeless-alcoholic, explaining that he was confused by this terminology in the Big Book.  So the sponsor took the new comer to the raunchiest bar in town.  Upon arriving, they stopped out back and sifted through the dumpster for flies.  This seemed strange to the sponsee, but he did not question the old-timer.  When they had collected enough dead flies they entered the bar.  Soon a fight broke out, and everyone in the bar rushed over to watch it, except for the two AA's.  The sponsor began dropping flies into beers at the bar.  When the fight broke up everyone returned to their seats.  One man picked up his beer, noticed the fly, and promptly asked the bartender for another draft.  "That", said the sponsor "is what we call a non-alcoholic."  A second man sat down, noticed the fly in his drink, tossed it aside, and drank his beer anyway.  "That's what we call a potential-alcoholic", said the sponsor.  The newcomer then said "If that's only a POTENTIAL-alcoholic, then what the hell is a hopeless-alcoholic?"  Before he could finish a third man sat down at the bar, picked the fly out of his beer, held it up to his face, and yelled "SPIT IT OUT, YOU SON OF A B****!!!  SPIT IT OUT!!!"

The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up.  The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!"
One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition.  The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king.  The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. 
Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!"
To which the king replied, "No, this is NOT good!" and proceeded to send his friend to jail.
About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of.  Cannibals captured him and took him to their village.  They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake.  As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb.  Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole.  So untying the king, they sent him on his way.  As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend.  He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend.
"You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off".  And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened.  "And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long.  It was bad of me to do this."
"No", his friend replied.  "This is good!"
"What do you mean, "This is good?  How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?"
"If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you."