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WAVE: Big Book Study with Corey Session Six - There Is a Solution (Part 2) · The Daily Ripples Podcast

0:03
Hey guys, this is Corey with the Wave Book Study. And, uh, you know, it's interesting.
0:11
I was, uh, texting a guy.
0:14
About recording this just a minute ago and I, um, And I said to him, I said, well, I have to do this.
0:21
Talking about record this book study and Man, I was thinking about it right after I said it because I get to do this.
0:29
This is a privilege.
0:30
Um, to be able to talk to people about this book.
0:33
And to go through this, and I'm really grateful for that. And, um,
0:39
So like what we've been talking about before, this point is the doctor's opinion of the allergy, of that this isn't just normal people don't have this.
0:53
Um, the allergy of the body, when I take a drink, I want more. Same effect as if you were allergic to strawberries, you wouldn't eat strawberries, for some reason, I still eat strawberries, even though I'm allergic.
1:08
That's the mental side and that's what we're about to get into.
1:12
And so, We're on pay at the top of page 23 and there's a solution.
1:20
And, um, Starts with these observations would be academic and Portland if our friend ever took the 1st drink. Well, what's the observations?
1:34
The observations are, I take a drink and I want more of the allergy, right?
1:40
So, but that's pointless if I never take the 1st drink.
1:45
So I think that's interesting.
1:47
So my mom, she's not an alcoholic.
1:50
And If she had done one of the 10 worst things I'd ever done in my life, she would never think about drinking ever again.
2:00
Um, Right.
2:03
So, like, that's the middle side is, so that then the sentence goes on on page 23, it says thereby setting the terrible cycle of motion.
2:14
Therefore, and I have this, This word circled and highlighted and green that says the main problem of the alcohol centers in his mind rather than in his body.
2:27
If you ask him why, if you ask him why he started on the last bender, the chances are he will offer you any one of 100 alibis.
2:38
Sometimes these excuses have a certain plausibility, but none of them really make sense in the light of the havoc of an alcoholics drinking bout creates.
2:49
They sound like the philosophy of the man who is having a headache, beats himself on the head with a hammer so that he can feel the can't feel the ache.
2:58
If you draw this fallacious reason to the attention of an alcoholic, he will laugh it off or become irritated and refuse to talk.
3:07
You know, I think, like, for me, with this, it's, you know, I don't need, let me see.
3:16
I don't need an excuse for me.
3:19
I need an excuse for you.
3:22
Um, Because for me to drink.
3:26
I, if I'm gonna drink, I'm gonna drink, but really what I'm looking for, the excuse is for you. So I can justify why I'm about to go to oblivion.
3:39
But I've used that with my dad's death with, you know, other people's deaths that I barely even know, right?
3:46
Um, You know, not even deaths.
3:50
don't even, I don't need a reason.
3:51
I remember it was, uh, I was probably 17 years old or 18 years old.
3:59
My friend, me and my friend had, we had fake IDs, so we'd go to the bars all over around town.
4:04
He called me one day.
4:06
It was a Wednesday or Tuesday.
4:09
He said, hey man, let's go up here and watch the game.
4:14
And go, dream.
4:16
And I said, well, who's playing?
4:18
He said, well, does it matter?
4:19
Anyways, who's playing?
4:20
We're just going to go. And like, you know, there was something to that extent.
4:25
I just remember like, I don't need a reason.
4:27
I don't need a reason anymore.
4:29
The reasons have left and like, I just know what I want to do.
4:34
Um, but if I ever needed a reason, it was for you.
4:37
So I could do live and be how I wanted to be.
4:43
Back to the tax on 23, it says once in a while he may tell the truth.
4:49
And the strange truth to say is usually that he has no more idea why he took the 1st strength than you have.
4:56
Some drinkers have excuses.
4:58
With which they are satisfied part of the time.
5:02
But in their heart of hearts, they really do not know why they do it.
5:06
Once the malady has really hold their baffle block.
5:11
Um.
5:13
You know, I was out on bond.
5:17
I had a, uh, A lot of things going against me at the moment and a 1000 reasons why not to drink.
5:26
I remember I was sitting in a hotel with a downstairs bar.
5:30
And there wasn't a thought, right?
5:33
There wasn't a thought of, I'm going to go do this because.
5:37
Um.
5:39
I can't really, like, tell you how I got down there, but man, you know, next thing you know, I'm sitting down at the bar.
5:46
I'm drinking.
5:48
You know, So like, well, I like how it says, but in their heart of hearts, they really do not know why they do it.
5:57
And then once it goes, what's this malady? I have malady underlined, has a real hold there, a baffled bot.
6:05
I have this, the rest of this paragraph highlighted end, Andrew Hond, in the next, 2 sentences.
6:14
It says there's a there's the obsession that somehow, someday they will beat the game.
6:20
But they often suspect they are down for the camp.
6:23
I have page 30.
6:25
Um, Mart, just right here because I like, Page 30 talks a lot about the obsession and how they'll beat the game and I think that that's a connecting piece and, but anyways, the text on page 23 goes on to say how true this is, few realize in a vague way they're families and friends says that these drinkers are abnormal.
6:53
But everybody hopefully awaits the day when the sufferer will arouse himself.
6:58
from his lethargy and assert his power of will.
7:03
So, uh, I've been trying to connect lately.
7:08
In the book, everywhere it talks about abnormal.
7:12
I have a little star beside this part because, You know, so it says, in a vague way, their families and friends since that these drinkers are abnormal.
7:22
Well, man, I've been an abnormal drinker for quite some time, and if you have, you kind of understand that feeling, maybe you have it, maybe you've been able to just, you know, I don't know what that looks like, but make it through, but, um,
7:39
Yeah, I've known that for a long time and as we go through, but that would be the 1st that's like one of the 1st steps in this deal is understand that I'm not like other people.
7:50
But back to the text, says the tragic truth is that if the Bambi a real alcoholic, I have real alcohol, I didn't end under one, the happy day may not arrive.
8:02
He has lost all control.
8:05
At a certain and then drinking of every alcoholic, he passes into the state where the most powerful desire to stop drinking is absolute no avail.
8:15
The this tragic situation has already arrived in practically every case long before it is expected.
8:24
Yeah, because like I didn't expect that I'm an alcoholic either, right?
8:28
I'm not going to be able to see that in the middle of my, this feeling of having arrived and all this.
8:34
And, you know, when I got the girl, the house, the job, all this stuff, like, you know, because it's all working.
8:40
What, what would I, and yeah, maybe a normal person might be able to say, hey, let's cut it down, let's slow down.
8:47
But me, I'm, you know, I got the gas, my foot on the gas, right?
8:52
I'm just going because it's why would I stop? Because it's working.
8:57
And so, The tragic situation has already arrived in practically every case, long before it is expected.
9:07
In this next whole paragraph, I have underline and highlighted, it's the squiggly letter, so, you know, it costs them more money back in the 1940s to print those.
9:19
So it's really important.
9:20
And this is a fact.
9:23
So it says the fact is, that most alcohol is for reasons yet obscure, have lost the power of choice and dream.
9:33
That's an important, lost the power of choice and dream.
9:36
That's kind of like aligns with powerlessness.
9:40
Our so-called willpower becomes practically non-existent.
9:44
We are unable at certain times to bring into our consciousness with sufficient force the memory of the suffering, the humiliation of even a weaker month ago.
9:55
So that's like, can't play the tape through.
9:59
I have heard of these rooms for a long time.
10:02
Just play the tape through.
10:03
What tells me right there I can at certain times.
10:06
Um, and I'm unable to, I can't do that.
10:12
I don't remember, uh, and you know, you probably experienced that.
10:19
However that looks.
10:21
I've experienced it with a couple weeks in jail, a couple nights sleep, a couple meals.
10:26
It's all your pro-
10:28
all your fault anyways, and I'm back to where I'm at.
10:31
I'm back to drink.
10:33
It's sometimes been a little bit longer.
10:36
I get the girl back, get the job back.
10:40
Whatever, I get back, you know, I get it and I forget about what I did to you or what I did to the world or what I did to anything else and it becomes your fault, right?
10:50
I think, and if it's your fault, like, why, why would it matter if I do anything, and I, it all, like, I mean, However, it goes through, I forget about everything I've done.
11:03
And I go do what I do without any thought of the matter.
11:08
There's no playing the tape through because if I could, then I wouldn't be powerless.
11:13
Huh.
11:16
And the last line of this says, we're without defense against the 1st drink.
11:21
It's important stuff right there.
11:24
It says the almost certain consequence that following taking him a glass of beer do not crowd into the mind to deter us.
11:31
If the thought occurs, they're hazy and readily supplanted.
11:36
So supplanting means replaced.
11:39
So readily replace with the old thread bear.
11:44
So th thread there means worn out.
11:46
So, in normal English. Today's, like, so, that's crazy, normal English.
11:54
Anyways, it says that these thoughts occur, they're hazy and readily replaced with the all worn out idea that this time we shall handle ourselves like other people.
12:06
And you know, maybe you can.
12:09
I haven't been able to.
12:12
But maybe you have a, uh,
12:15
Maybe it will work for you.
12:18
I guess that's always the uh, great obsession of a lot of us.
12:23
So it says, there's a complete failure of a kind of defense that keeps one from putting his hand on a hot stove. And I have, uh, page 84 marked right here because it's interesting, right?
12:37
And, you know, we've we've read the word recovered for quite some time now.
12:41
Um, on page 84.
12:46
I think that's cool that At the very bottom of it,
12:52
It says we will seldom be interested in liquor.
12:56
If tempted, we were cool from it as a hot flame.
13:00
I think about hot flame.
13:02
I think about hot stove and, you know, I do recoil from it as a hot flame.
13:07
I, uh,
13:08
So I'll get too far in depth with it and the thought.
13:12
I get a knife.
13:14
size, sharp paint in my liver, too, which is, that's how it felt every morning when I was sitting in the toilet, throwing up.
13:24
But, uh, goes on to say on page 24.
13:29
The alcoholic may say to himself in the most casual way won't burn me this time, so here's how.
13:35
Because I got to have a reason for you.
13:38
Um, and then it goes, or perhaps he doesn't think at all.
13:42
How often some of us begin to drink in this non-schalant way and after the 3rd or 4th pounded on the bar and said to ourselves, for God's sakes, how did I ever get started again?
13:54
Only to have that thought?
13:56
supplanted, replaced by, well, I'll stop with a 6th drink or what's the use anyhow?
14:03
I had the next two, one's, I guess the next 2 sentence, uh, highlighted right here.
14:11
It says when this sort of thinking is fully established in the individual with alcoholic tendencies.
14:17
He has probably placed himself beyond human aid.
14:21
I have that underlined right there beyond human aid.
14:25
Unless locked up, may dire go permanently insane.
14:29
You know, I mean, are you beyond human aid?
14:32
If you're not, like, what are we doing?
14:35
If you could do this on your own, what are we doing?
14:38
Um, but I am, I was beyond human aid.
14:43
And like, I think, you know, I like how it's like, when this sort of thinking is fully established, an individual, without car tendencies, like, Would I take a drink?
14:56
I'll tell you, like, after I took a dream, it was an interesting thing because I, uh, I went, like, after I took that drink, my mind completely rearranged, after I started drinking, and my, I, it was like, it was kind of like, um,
15:17
You know, like you would imagine right before your death, like, you know, this thought of your whole life.
15:24
Well, your life flashes through your eyes. And, um, so I'd started drinking and my life flashed through my eyes.
15:34
Shortly after I started drinking of how I was gonna arrange life with alcohol in it.
15:42
It was an interesting thing.
15:44
It was crazy.
15:45
hell.
15:45
Anyways, Because on to say on the bottom of 24, these stark and ugly facts have been confirmed about legions of alcohols throughout history, but for the grace of God, there would have been 1000s more convincing demonstrations.
15:58
So many want to stop but cannot.
16:01
And this is a, this is highlighted in pink right here because we highlight promises and prayers.
16:08
There's the solution.
16:11
that all this is highlighted, right?
16:13
This next so it's this highlight.
16:15
We're going to get back and forth with a highlighter right here because we got different things going on.
16:20
Um, this is a Nyella.
16:23
Almost none of us like the self searching, the leveling of our pride.
16:26
The confession of our shortcomings, which the process requires.
16:32
I have required circled, for its successful conversation, consummation. But this, so the rest of this is in a peak right here, this part of the, but we saw that it really worked in others, and we had come to believe in the hopelessness and futility of life we had been living in it.
16:52
So, when I think about, um, up here, self-searching, like how it kind of broke down.
17:02
This is kind of like what I saw and someone else saw.
17:05
So self searching would be four, 6, and 8.
17:10
And leveling over Pride 14 and 9.
17:15
The confession of our shortcomings would be five.
17:20
which this process requires.
17:23
So I mean, that's just how I saw it.
17:24
Um, if you see it in a different way.
17:27
Thats cool too.
17:29
So anyway, so when therefore we were approached, I have approached, approached, and orange, and I have everywhere approached, because we were approached by somebody.
17:40
Now, we went up to somebody.
17:42
It doesn't say anywhere in this book, you went up and found somebody to help you.
17:46
They go up to find, they go up to help you.
17:49
Right?
17:50
So like, and that's, that's what's wrong with these, this place today is because nobody's trying to help anybody.
17:56
They're trying to wait on because they're so cool. Because they got so much cool stuff to say that you should come up to them.
18:04
And, you know, it's sad.
18:06
And that's what's wrong with alcohol Anonymous today in my opinion.
18:10
that everybody's waiting to be.
18:13
gone up to because they've been doing this for so long and, you know, they deserve this and that, you know, you just, they get the person that, it's silly, man.
18:23
It's just this ego filled thing.
18:26
And if that's you, man, it's sad.
18:28
Because, no, you need to be going up.
18:32
There's nowhere in this book that says you sit back and wait for these people to come flock to you and ask you to be your sponsor.
18:38
No, there's nowhere.
18:39
It says, you go approach the individual.
18:42
You know, if you need another page to, you know, show you that, uh, page 153 that says, in the chapter working with others, you've gathered an idea of how we approach an 8 others to help.
19:01
Maybe you haven't read that far of the book.
19:04
But that's what the chapter worker with others is about, how we approach an individual and how we aid them to health.
19:11
Anyways, back to the text on 25.
19:13
By those in whom the problem had been solved.
19:18
There was nothing left for us but to pick up the simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet.
19:25
And man, I have the rest of all this, uh, this paragraph in the next paragraph, uh, highlighted in PEK.
19:35
We have found much of heaven and we've been rocking into a 4th dimension.
19:39
Remember we talked about a 4th dimension.
19:41
It's.
19:42
It is the physical, mental and spiritual working in harmony, right?
19:48
So that's cool.
19:53
A dimension exists in which we have been, so we have found much of heaven.
19:57
We had been rocking into a 4th dimension of existence, over which we had not even drained.
20:01
Now I have this underline, this is cool, but great fact.
20:05
And on page Ward 54, it's Ward 64.
20:07
I mean, the great fact is highlighted in that.
20:10
It's not highlighted here, and that's interesting.
20:13
The great fact is just this and nothing less, that we've had a deep and effective spiritual experience.
20:19
which have revolutionized our whole attitude toward life, that's mental, toward our fellows, that's physical and towards God's universe, that's spiritual.
20:31
The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our creator has entered into our hearts or our lives in a way which is indeed miraculous.
20:41
He has commenced to accomplish those things for what for us, which we can never do by ourselves.
20:48
He has commenced to accomplish those things for us, which we could never do by ourselves.
20:55
And that's true, man.
20:57
that, like, and that's so cool.
20:58
Like, this is the, this is the promise of this stuff.
21:02
You know, I have, Anyways, so I have this, the whole next paragraph, highlighted in yellow.
21:13
I told you we're going to be going like, it's just a coloring book.
21:16
If you're seriously alcohol because we were, we believe that I have this underline, there's no middle of the road solution.
21:24
And you know, was there any middle of the red solution with my drink?
21:28
There wasn't.
21:29
You know, it was all or nothing.
21:31
All or nothing.
21:31
It's always been all or nothing.
21:33
We were in a position where life was becoming impossible.
21:37
And we had passed into the region for which there is no return through human aid.
21:42
I have no return through human aid underline.
21:45
That's meetings.
21:47
Everything else in between.
21:50
We had the 2 alternatives.
21:53
One was to go into the bitter end, blotting out the consciousness of our intolerable situation as best we could. And so like, you know, I can tell you that I've done that.
22:03
Right?
22:05
Yeah, I know what that looks like.
22:07
What's our intolerable situation?
22:08
Well, when we start drinking, we can't stop.
22:11
We mess up everything and keep on doing it again.
22:14
We don't even have to mess it up.
22:16
We just keep doing it.
22:16
That's the intolerable situation.
22:19
The physical, middle part of this, and the spiritual part of just messing and everything up and not even being able to do anything in life.
22:26
But I'll tell you, you know, people talk about AA messes up your drinking.
22:33
Well, yeah, it can.
22:36
But the other side of that, you can drink past that.
22:39
And that's what it's talking about right here, right?
22:42
Blotting out the competitioness of our intolerable situation.
22:45
Well, just drink more.
22:46
You'll be all right.
22:48
Anyways, it goes on to say.
22:51
As best we could and the other to accept spiritual help.
22:56
And that's, you know, and that's the, that's the sides of the road, right?
23:01
You know, bought it out or go accept spiritual help.
23:03
It's pretty simple.
23:05
This, we did because we honestly wanted to.
23:09
and were willing to make the effort.
23:11
And you could look at that and be like, so what are the 2 elements of that, honest and willing.
23:18
Because on to say, a certain American businessman had the ability, good sense and high character for years had floundered from one sanitarium to another.
23:28
He consulted the best known American psychiatrists than he had gone to Europe.
23:35
Placing himself in the care of a celebrated physician, the psychologist, Dr. Young.
23:43
who prescribed for him.
23:47
Though experience had made him skeptical, he had finished his treatment with unusual confidence.
23:52
His physical, I have physical and mental highlighted right here because I think it's important.
23:59
His physical and mental condition were unusually good.
24:02
Above all, he believed he acquired such a profound knowledge, profound knowledge I have highlighted too.
24:09
of the inner workings of his mind, and its hidden springs that relapse was unthinkable.
24:17
Nevertheless, he was drunk in a short time, more baffling still, he could give himself no satisfactory explanation for his fall.
24:26
And that's, you know, powerless.
24:28
I would imagine that that's the, you know, in every which way we talked about it so far.
24:34
So it says, so he returned to this doctor whom he admired and asked for him, asked him, point blake, why he could not recover.
24:43
He wished above all things to regain self-control.
24:48
He seemed quite rational, well balanced with respect to other problems, yet he had no control whatever over alcohol.
24:56
What was this?
24:58
He begged the doctor to tell him the whole truth, and he got it.
25:02
The doctor's judgment.
25:05
He was utterly hopeless.
25:06
Nothing.
25:07
Well, I don't think I had this underlined right here and how I did hopeless.
25:12
He could never regain his position in society and it would have to be placed on himself under a lock and key or hire a bodyguard if he expected to live long.
25:22
So I have all that highlighted right there.
25:25
That was a great physician's opinion.
25:29
So I had this all highlight the rest, this whole next paragraph in peak, because this is a promise.
25:35
to me.
25:36
This is what a free man is.
25:37
This is what this is what the spiritual awakening gives you.
25:43
This is what this work gives you.
25:46
Today I kind of view my life as places of how free can I get?
25:54
rather than like in a, the thought of drinking, I think about like freedom.
25:59
Freedom like to go anywhere, freedom to go, do anything.
26:04
You know, freedom to walk hand in hand with God and with humans and with man, and not feel less than not feel more than just to be one with everybody.
26:15
But it says, but this man still lives and he is a free man.
26:19
He does not need a bodyguard.
26:21
Nor is he confined.
26:23
He can go anywhere on this earth, other free men may go without disaster.
26:27
provided.
26:29
He remains willing to make a certain simple attitude.
26:33
Well, if I look at the free man.
26:36
I think go to page 62.
26:39
So if you're more at page 62, page 76 right here, I think it's important.
26:45
So at the bottom of the page 62.
26:48
It says most good ideas are simple, and this concept was the keystone of the new and triumphant art through which we passed the freedom, right?
26:55
So you got triumphant arc, passive freer.
26:57
Well, what closes that arc.
27:00
It's page 76 and that's the 3rd step.
27:04
I mean, that's the 7th step prayer, which the arch is we'll get to this, but it's the 3rd to the 7th step prayer, because there's no amen at the end of the 3rd step prayer.
27:14
But the 7 step prayer closes it down and also, on what we read in Bill's story on page 13.
27:23
says, my friends promised when these things were done, I would enter upon a new relationship with my creator that I would have the elements of a way of living, which answered all my problems.
27:35
So here's the elements.
27:36
Belief in the power of God plus enough willingness, honesty, and humility. To establish and maintain the new order of things where the central requirements.
27:46
I think there's a central requirements, maintain a certain simple attitude, right?
27:51
So you got those thoughts, and I think that all connects.
27:54
But you could go argue with someone about me about that if you want to.
27:58
So back to the text on page 27.
28:01
Some of our alcohol readers may think that they can do without spiritual help, and maybe you can't.
28:06
Let us tell you the rest of the conversation our friend had with his doctor.
28:10
The doctor said you have the mind of a chronic alcoholic.
28:14
I've never seen one single case recover.
28:16
Where that state of mind existed in the stint that it does in you.
28:22
Our friend felt as though the gates of hell had closed on with the clay.
28:27
I have gates of hell highlighted.
28:29
He said to the doctors, there are no exception.
28:32
And the doctor said, yes, there is an exception.
28:35
Now how this highlighted right here, paid a little bit all the way down to the bottom of the paragraph.
28:42
Yes, there is an exception to cases such as yours have been occurring since early times.
28:48
Here and there, once in a while.
28:51
Alcoholics have what we are called, they underline the vital spiritual experience part because that's important, vital spiritual experience, life and death, spiritual experiences.
29:00
And that's what we're talking about here.
29:02
To me, these occurrences are phenomena.
29:05
Yeah, they appear to be in the nature of having huge emotional displacements and rearrangements, ideas, emotions and attitudes.
29:15
But I like how, you know, I've tried to connect this, but I have ideas, emotions, and attitudes.
29:23
So that there's 3 right there, which are once the guiding force or the lives of these men are suddenly cast to one side.
29:31
And a completely new set of conceptions and motives begin to dominate them.
29:36
In fact, I've been trying to produce some of the emotional rearrangements within you.
29:42
With many individuals and methods which I have employed are successful, but I have never been successful with an alcoholic of your description.
29:52
That's cool.
29:54
But not for him, you know?
29:56
So he's like, hey, you know, I've done this.
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We've done there's people that have done this, but not with people as bad as you.
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So, upon hearing this, our friend was somewhat relieved for what he reflected that, after all, he was a good church member.
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This whole, however, was destroyed by the doctor telling her, while his religious convictions were very good in his case, they did not spell the necessary vital spiritual experience.
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So while you may be going to church, this is important.
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This is kind of a reason that I, uh, kind of enjoy the fact of working with some people that do not have religious backgrounds at some points.
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You know, and some guys will be like, man, you know, you know, that's cool because he already has a higher power.
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What, you know?
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It's hard to break people.
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And to get them to see this, but, You know, it is important to me to note that I'm paid.
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I have noted down here at 93.
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So it says right here, this hope, however, was destroyed by the doctor telling you that while his religious convictions were very good.
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In his case, they did not spell the necessary vital spiritual experience.
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So on page 93.
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It says, Bottom paragraph, your prospect may belong to a religious denomination.
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His religious education and training may be far superior to yours.
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It probably is.
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In that case, he is going to wonder how you can add anything to what he already knows.
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But he will be certain to learn why his own convictions have not worked, right?
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And if they did, why would you be here right now?
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But why yours seem to work so well.
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He may be an example of the truth that faith alone is insufficient.
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To be vital, life and death, faith must be accompanied by self-sacrifice and unself-construction act and constructive action.
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Let him see that you are not here to instruct him in religion.
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Admit that he probably knows more than you about it than you do.
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But call to his attention the fact that, however, deep his faith and knowledge, he could not have a pot it, or he would not drink.
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I think that's important, right?
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Because, like, you might know more than me.
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You probably do.
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You probably know a lot more than me, just sell any realm.
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But this is what we're talking about here.
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We're talking about alcoholism.
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And, you know, this is the book of alcohol.
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This is, hey, hey, this is, this is the, what is it?
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The, uh, this is our text, our textbook for our society.
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And this is all we're talking about.
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You might know more about the Bible, more about wife, more about college, more about all this stuff, but we're talking about alcohol synonymous.
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And how to how to help 8 others to help.
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And this is, so, I mean, like, you know, that kind of comes into this conundrum, if you will.
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of, like, so, you know, if you know more about that and you want to go that route, do that route.
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But don't, I don't know.
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I just hate seeing other people take other people down.
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That's sad to watch.
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Anyways, on the top of 28.
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Here was a terrible dilemma in which our friend found himself.
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when he had the extraordinary experience, which, as we have already told you, made him a free man.
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I have free man underlined and highlighted also, this is important right here.
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When our turn sought the same escape with all the desperation of drowning men.
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So, right?
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So we've talked about shipwrecks.
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We talked about all this stuff.
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And I, this is part of the basic white kicks, cake recipe, when in our turn, sought the same escape with all the desperation of drowning men.
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So do you have the desperation of a drowning man?
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Because if not, It's going to be hard to do this.
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What seemed at 1st a flimsy read.
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And have the rest of this paragraph in pink, could promise, has proved to be the loving and powerful hey to God, a new life that has been given, has been given us, or if you prefer, a design for a living that really works.
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The distinguished.
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American psychologist William James in his book, Verise of religious experience.
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And I'm going to tell you this book, right?
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That book.
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I've read it not too long ago, and if you've been around this deal for a while.
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I'll tell you, it's a 350 page book of we agnostics and it's a really beautiful book.
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I really I really enjoyed it.
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It's hard to get.
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It's kind of dense and it's hard to get past the 1st 80 pages.
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But once you get into it, it's a really cool book, especially if you know the literature.
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of this book and like appreciate it.
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Um, it says indicates a multitude of ways in which men have discovered God.
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We have no desire to convince anyone that there is only one way by which faith can be acquired.
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So we have no monopoly, right?
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We've established that.
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If what we have learned and felt and seen.
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So this is interesting.
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I've been talking about this for a couple for about a year, because I've noticed this, and if you, if you can figure this out, I would love to know, because I don't understand.
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It says, if what we have learned and felt, and seen.
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So like, there's a, there's a and, and that felt and seen.
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So that, like, the, that's not normal to have a double end, they usually have a combo, right?
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So it would normally say if what we have learned, felt, and seen, means anything at all.
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So, like, I don't know. I, uh, I've been trying to figure that out for some time and, you know, I was looking it up on some stuff and, you know, It does mean something if we're not talking about the big book, but it doesn't mean, it doesn't mean something, it's interesting.
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If you could figure out why they wrote it like this.
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Wild Bill wrote, learned and felt and seen, it'd be interesting to me.
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It means anything at all, it means that all of us, whatever our race, creed, and color are the children of a living creator with whom we may form a relationship upon simple and understandable terms, as soon as we are willing and honest enough to try.
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Those of us have religious affiliations will find here nothing disturbing to our beliefs or ceremonies.
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There is no friction among us over such matters.
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We think it is no concern of what our religious bodies, our members identify themselves with as individuals.
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This should be an entirely personal affair which each one decides for himself.
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in the light of associations or his present choice.
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Not all of us join religious bodies, but most of us favor such, favor such memberships.
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So, I mean, like we favor those memberships, but we don't we don't require you to be a part of that.
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I think that's important.
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In the following chapter.
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There appears an explanation of alcoholism, as we understand it.
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Then a chapter addressed to the agnostic.
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May who were in this class were now among our members, surprisingly enough, we found such convictions, no great obstacle to a spiritual experience.
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And I have this highlighted in pink right here.
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Further on.
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Clear cut directions are given showing how we recover.
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There's another place of recover to have an underloan.
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These are followed by 42 personal experiences, or we're not like through this book study, we're not going to go through the 42 personal experiences because I have my own. Each individual and the personal stories describing his own language from his own point of view.
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The way he established his relationship with God.
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And like, you're going to have your own story of how you establish your relationship of God.
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These give a fair, these give a fair cross section of our membership and a clear cut idea of what actually happened in their lives.
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We hope no one will consider these self revealing counts in bad taste.
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Our hope is that many alcohol men and women desperably, indeed, will see these pages, and we believe that it is only by disclosing ourselves and our problems, that they will be persuaded to say, yes, I wanted them to, I must have this thing.
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Hey, thank you guys for listening and uh, appreciate this and I'm really grateful for the opportunity.