Foremost...it's been a while since I've written in the blog. This is not good. Each day, when I look around to see what's going on in my life, I see that I have not written in The Happy Hour and I feel guilty. That's too bad, not only because I enjoy this space and sharing about my recovery, but also because I think I loose readers when they continually turn to the pages here and find nothing new. Hopefully, that will change, and I'll be more consistent in the future.
I've been reading another book about the spiritual roots of AA, The Good Book and the Big Book... The narrative is about how AA was really formed by people - largely Judeo-Christian members of midwestern communities in America - who had a deeply seated belief in the Bible as a source of wisdom and strength for living a good life. The impetus for this close association between AA and the religious traditions of the Bible came largely from Dr. Bob and his wife Ann who used to use the book for meditations in their home with other recovering alcoholics. Dick B. says that the AA program is built largely on principles found in the Bible's Sermon on the Mount whereby Jesus outlined what the good life is like and what mankind ought to aspire to in daily life. Bill W. was an avowed atheist and I think most people would agree that it was hard for him to swallow much of this traditional religious emphasis. I think his imput is why the AA program is so "spiritual" instead of being religious. Bill saw his own sudden transformation as less an input from a great God than it was an emotionally moving event that broke through the years of denial he had about spiritual matters. It is inescapable to me that there is some powerful and wonderful spirit behind the formation of AA and it's 12 Step program progeny. It is amazing that two men, one steeped in traditional religious doctrine, and the other a man who became agnostic, came together and worked out a system that would be so accessible to everyone in the world. Whether the Good Book was the primary source for the AA principles or not, no one can claim that whatever it was that united these two men was a powerful force for overcoming the temptations of alcoholism. I, of course, will be researching spiritual transformations in alcoholism recovery and will undoubtedly run into men whose faith in the Good Book is real and valuable to them. It will be important for me to understand the roots of their own belief that may very well be grounded in religious, Biblical traditions. I intend to remain open to that, and Dick B's book will help give me perspective on the matter.
I am also busily pumping away at writing my proposal for the dissertation. The initial proposal chapters will eventually become the introduction for the dissertation, so, one can say I am literally writing the dissertation now despite the fact I have not done one piece of research thus far. It can be tedious, but I have a terrific man as chairman of my committee who is guiding me and the writing goes reasonably well.
The teaching also goes well (despite the fact that last week the computer broke down before class and I had no PowerPoint slides to use for the lecture - had to do it the old-fashioned way of using the board and talking from notes!). The students seem interested and I have a few that are very smart. All in all, it is a very good beginning for my academic career.
My family is healthy and in good spirits. This is something I am grateful for each day when I hear about the suffering some families endure. I am very grateful for my life and the people I have in it.
All the best, Roger W.
