Wisdom Helpful for Sobriety
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Wisdom Helpful for Sobriety
Some wisdom received from an old friend which may be helpful for sobriety:
INTERVIEW WITH GOD
“Come in,” God said to me. “So, you would like to interview Me?”
“If you have the time,” I said.
He smiled and said, “My time is called Eternity and is enough to do everything; what questions do you have in mind to ask me?”
“None that are new to you,” I replied. “What’s the one thing that surprises you most about mankind?”
He answered:
“That they get bored of being children, are in a rush to grow up, and then long to be children again.
That they lose their health to make money, and then lose their money to restore their health.
That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live neither for the present nor the future.
That they live as if they will never die, and they die as if they had never lived.”
We were silent, and after a long period I asked, “May I ask you another question?” He replied with a nod and smile, and I asked, “As a Father, what would you ask your children to do for the New Year?”
He answered:
“To learn that they cannot make anyone love them. What they can do is to let themselves be loved.
To learn that it takes years to build trust, and a few seconds to destroy it.
To learn that what is most valuable is not what they have in their lives, but who they have in their lives.
To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others. There will be others better or worse than they are.
To learn that a rich person is not one who has the most, but is one who needs the least.
To learn that they should control their attitudes, otherwise their attitudes will control them.
To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in persons we love, and that it takes many years to heal them.
To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness.
To learn that there are persons that love them dearly, but simply do not know how to show their feelings.
To learn that money can buy everything but happiness.
To learn that while at times they may be entitled to be upset, that does not give them the right to upset those around them.
To learn that great dreams do not require great wings, but landing gear to achieve.
To learn that true friends are scarce; he/she who has found one has found a true treasure.
To learn that it is not always enough that they be forgiven by others, but that they forgive themselves.
To learn that they are masters of what they keep to themselves and slaves of what they say.
To learn that they will reap what they plant. If they plant gossip, they will harvest intrigues. If they plant love, they will harvest happiness.
To learn that true happiness is not to achieve their goals but to learn to be satisfied with what they already achieved.
To learn that happiness is a decision. They decide to be happy with what they are and have, or die from envy and jealousy of what they lack.
To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see something totally different.
To learn that those who are honest with themselves without considering the consequences go far in life.
To learn that even though they may think they have nothing to give, when a friend cries with them, they find the strength to appease the pain.
To learn that by trying to hold on to loved ones, they very quickly push them away; and by letting go of those they love, they will be side-by-side forever.
To learn that even though the word “love” has many different meanings, it loses value when it is overstated.
To learn that they can never do something extraordinary for Me to love them; I simply do.
To learn that the shortest distance they could be from Me is the distance of a prayer.”
W
INTERVIEW WITH GOD
“Come in,” God said to me. “So, you would like to interview Me?”
“If you have the time,” I said.
He smiled and said, “My time is called Eternity and is enough to do everything; what questions do you have in mind to ask me?”
“None that are new to you,” I replied. “What’s the one thing that surprises you most about mankind?”
He answered:
“That they get bored of being children, are in a rush to grow up, and then long to be children again.
That they lose their health to make money, and then lose their money to restore their health.
That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live neither for the present nor the future.
That they live as if they will never die, and they die as if they had never lived.”
We were silent, and after a long period I asked, “May I ask you another question?” He replied with a nod and smile, and I asked, “As a Father, what would you ask your children to do for the New Year?”
He answered:
“To learn that they cannot make anyone love them. What they can do is to let themselves be loved.
To learn that it takes years to build trust, and a few seconds to destroy it.
To learn that what is most valuable is not what they have in their lives, but who they have in their lives.
To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others. There will be others better or worse than they are.
To learn that a rich person is not one who has the most, but is one who needs the least.
To learn that they should control their attitudes, otherwise their attitudes will control them.
To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in persons we love, and that it takes many years to heal them.
To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness.
To learn that there are persons that love them dearly, but simply do not know how to show their feelings.
To learn that money can buy everything but happiness.
To learn that while at times they may be entitled to be upset, that does not give them the right to upset those around them.
To learn that great dreams do not require great wings, but landing gear to achieve.
To learn that true friends are scarce; he/she who has found one has found a true treasure.
To learn that it is not always enough that they be forgiven by others, but that they forgive themselves.
To learn that they are masters of what they keep to themselves and slaves of what they say.
To learn that they will reap what they plant. If they plant gossip, they will harvest intrigues. If they plant love, they will harvest happiness.
To learn that true happiness is not to achieve their goals but to learn to be satisfied with what they already achieved.
To learn that happiness is a decision. They decide to be happy with what they are and have, or die from envy and jealousy of what they lack.
To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see something totally different.
To learn that those who are honest with themselves without considering the consequences go far in life.
To learn that even though they may think they have nothing to give, when a friend cries with them, they find the strength to appease the pain.
To learn that by trying to hold on to loved ones, they very quickly push them away; and by letting go of those they love, they will be side-by-side forever.
To learn that even though the word “love” has many different meanings, it loses value when it is overstated.
To learn that they can never do something extraordinary for Me to love them; I simply do.
To learn that the shortest distance they could be from Me is the distance of a prayer.”
W
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 3,550
P.S. Some times when folks, particularly old folks, talk about "wisdom" younger folk may feel that they are being lectured, that the older folk are "talking down" and are a bit pretentious, patronizing. I recall in my early recovery, an old man would come into the unit and start to hold forth and, even though I had reached the age of 61 (27 years ago) I felt a bit that way. Particularly if he started to imply that he knew just how to get sobriety and that we'd better get busy doing it his way or we were bound to drink again. Almost without exception the person in question was terribly overweight and I thought that maybe he had exchanged one dependency for another. They were all rigid devotees of AA and the rehab had no one in to talk about alternatives, such as Rational Recovery, Smart Recovery, etc. The rehab showed films about what happens to your body if you use dangerous drugs, like crack, heroin. It was only when I requested a film about alcoholism that they agreed to show it. I went to numerous AA meetings (the rehab required us to go) and, as often happens we found some meetings better than others. When I got out of the rehab I got enormous support from an Agnostics group, although I'm really not an agnostic in the usual sense. But even there I had some issues, as where, shortly before Christmas, they began talking cleverly about how the Virgin Mary had probably become pregnant with an illegitimate child and that the Immaculate Conception was just a cover up so Joseph would not be disgraced if it were made public that Mary had cheated on him. I walked out saying that I didn't see how this could have anything to do with my sobriety other than to make me want to drink to feel less offended.
I'm saying all this because I feel that when I (an old Geezer with 27 sober years behind me) presume to talk about "wisdom" maybe some of you younger folk are feeling like I did back in my early recovery. If that's so, then I hope you believe me that, especially now when I'm feeling horrible, bed ridden with a muscle bruise from falling, I have right near my bed not the "Big Book" (I really dislike the name since it brings back when I was 10 years old and reading "Big Little Books" about cowboys and gangsters. I am no longer 19 years old and the tone and style of the Big Book seems a little like the way the old man talked to us in the Rehab), I have beside me now the Tao Te Ching, whose author does not give me that "I know it all" feeling. Also I like to read the late Ernie Kurtz' books about AA, which certainly respect the reader as an adult.
Believe me when I say I don't "know it all". The only thing I know is what I have seen and that is that everyone has not recovered in the same way. Many have taken the path of AA, others Rational Recovery. Others some a kind of mixture of the two. Even alone, like an old man who sat at the Rehab nurses' station whom I met late at night, who said he had done it all by himself. "I just stopped drinking" he said. So here he was at the top of the mountain (he was on the rehab staff). Who am I to have said, then, that the path he took was the the wrong one and every person should do AA or he or she is in denial. Later on I "came to believe", as the Japanese might say, that there are "many paths up Mt. Fuji". The object of all of this is to get sober. To climb out of Hell into the sunlight.
W.
I'm saying all this because I feel that when I (an old Geezer with 27 sober years behind me) presume to talk about "wisdom" maybe some of you younger folk are feeling like I did back in my early recovery. If that's so, then I hope you believe me that, especially now when I'm feeling horrible, bed ridden with a muscle bruise from falling, I have right near my bed not the "Big Book" (I really dislike the name since it brings back when I was 10 years old and reading "Big Little Books" about cowboys and gangsters. I am no longer 19 years old and the tone and style of the Big Book seems a little like the way the old man talked to us in the Rehab), I have beside me now the Tao Te Ching, whose author does not give me that "I know it all" feeling. Also I like to read the late Ernie Kurtz' books about AA, which certainly respect the reader as an adult.
Believe me when I say I don't "know it all". The only thing I know is what I have seen and that is that everyone has not recovered in the same way. Many have taken the path of AA, others Rational Recovery. Others some a kind of mixture of the two. Even alone, like an old man who sat at the Rehab nurses' station whom I met late at night, who said he had done it all by himself. "I just stopped drinking" he said. So here he was at the top of the mountain (he was on the rehab staff). Who am I to have said, then, that the path he took was the the wrong one and every person should do AA or he or she is in denial. Later on I "came to believe", as the Japanese might say, that there are "many paths up Mt. Fuji". The object of all of this is to get sober. To climb out of Hell into the sunlight.
W.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 3,550
P.S. My entry should read "I am no longer 10 years old..." (i.e. instead of "19"). An oversight due to complications from my bruised muscle. It's getting better and what Lao Tzu, presumed author of the Tao Te Ching ,would prescribe, getting better often requires patience. Of course, if the pain is really bad (which it isn't now in my case) it's not particularly helpful to counsel "patience". Did any of those bystanding "helpers" ("caregivers") in the Book of Job, dare to say, "Now Job, just relax! Can't get to sleep because of the hives? You're not relaxing like I told you to do? Plagued by insects, boils, hemorrhoids, poison ivy, shingles, itchy all over, horrendous headache, DT's, heroin withdrawal, well if you only follow directions and relax Job, you aren't listening; stop scratching and listen; you ought to have more respect and do what I tell you to do, which is to have patience and stop scratching!"
W.
W.
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Posts: 3,252
Originally Posted by Boxer 
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Originally Posted by thomas11
I really really enjoy your insight wpainterw. I know you are not a spring chicken and its obvious your years have provided you with much wisdom and knowledge.
W.
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