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Source: Walter K – Speaker Talk – Date Unknown.mp3 File: walter-k-speaker-talk-date-unknown.mp3 Duration: 00:31:14
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I'm sure you're all aware, by this point, that we have two female speakers on this panel, and one male speaker. I believe the conference committee, in aligning the panel, feeling sorry for Walter, put him on last, so that he could at least get the last word in. Walter? Hi. When you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer. If there's anybody within earshot of my voice, that doesn't recognize that phrase, doesn't recognize what it is, let me tell you.
It's the ingenious device of one of these experts from this role called Madison Avenue. I believe that's the way they refer to the advertising experts that devise the philosophy that insidiously influences our actions in life so often these days. Which insidiously, by its constant repetition, undermines our freedom of choice. I dare say that there are many out there today, going in, ordering a glass of beer, who, without giving it a second thought, order Schlitz today.
I never drank Schlitz myself, but I'll bet that I'd be one of those jokers, hearing this phrase so often. I'm sure that I would have fallen prey to the same sort of thing. I'm not an advertising man. I'm not an expert. I'm not even an expert on AA. That's not why I'm up here at all. I'm not even an expert on me, I have discovered, in the time that I've been in AA. But I think there's far more merit in the statement, and it would be much less easily and readily accepted if I were to make the statement right now.
If you don't have a spiritual side to your program, you don't have a program. Basically, there's far more truth in that statement than there is if you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer. But I don't think that that statement would be quite as readily accepted, even in a group like this, many of whom are, as I am, members of the fellowship. I don't know exactly what the design was in having me follow two members of this staff side, two very fair members of this staff side.
I sometimes, I wonder now even how I can explain why I qualify being here at all. Obviously, I am not a lady, so I can't give that as my excuse for not being able to stay sober for even 24 hours. However, when Ed R. approached me about a month ago and asked if I would carry about 15 minutes on one of the panel discussions of the program, having learned that to succeed in AA is never to say no, I had no choice.
Ed suggested that I speak on the spiritual side of the program. At first, that seemed like a rather difficult assignment. So I turned to a dictionary to be sure that I had the right idea of what spiritual means. And in the dictionary, I looked at several, I found various definitions, only some of which I felt could apply in this particular instance. But there are very definitely some which should and do apply, and those are the ones which I hope in the time allotted me to exploit.
One definition for spiritual is given in the dictionary, which I turned to, is this. Caring much for things of the soul or spirit. Well, that of course directed me to turn to the definition of soul. And the definition of soul given in that same dictionary is this.
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That part of the human being that thinks, feels, and makes the body act. Now there very obviously is a direct tie-in, a direct lead for me. It immediately directs our attention to the fact that being on and being in the Alcoholics Anonymous program is not merely a physical thing, not merely remaining dry, not merely abstaining from the use of alcoholic liquor, but it also involves thinking. Spiritual says, caring much for the things of the soul.
The soul is defined as that part of the human being that thinks, that feels, and makes the body act. That directs my attention to how important it is if I'm going to be successful in developing and maintaining an Alcoholics Anonymous program for myself, one that will work. That I direct my thinking in the right channels. In other words, what I should try to do at the very outset is to relate my program, my way of life, and a program, an Alcoholics Anonymous program certainly is a way of life, to the things which will benefit my soul, to thinking soberly.
Again we're directed to the idea of thinking, by the word spiritual, with a secondary definition which says, as opposed to material. In other words, that which we cannot see, feel, smell, touch, measure. In other words, that which is inside of us. Now I do not believe that anyone coming into the program can be exposed to the program for even a short time without coming to the conclusion that this program, in all its aspects, is certainly a God-given program.
I don't think that there is a doubt in the mind of any of us that it is a divinely inspired program. The two gentlemen whose pictures appear behind me, some thirty years ago, got together, I think as the direct result of the maneuverings of that divine providence. I don't think it was merely a coincidence. I think it was the first of a long, long series of miracles which have happened within this fellowship and are happening about us today.
I do think that it is divinely inspired. Therefore, when I first came into the program, and I was told that if I attempted to work out a pattern or a way of life, a program of my own for myself, it was suggested that I formulate such a pattern after the twelve steps. Very early in these steps, our attention is directed, and in my way of thinking, rightly so, to a power greater than ourselves, whom most of us choose to call God, whom I call God.
I had been taught to recognize the existence of and to know God from my early childhood, but I did not, and I repeat, I did not, despite a formal education along those lines, did not have the same understanding of a kind and loving and helpful God as I have derived from a study of the suggested steps of our program.
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Why do so many of us find it difficult to recognize that divine inspiration behind the program? Why do we find it so difficult to surrender our lives and our wills to God? I don't think there are any, if any, not many in this hall today, who don't believe that God made us, that each of us are creatures of God. Now, what is more logical than to turn the problems of our lives, our mismanaged, mixed-up, confused lives over to the Maker? What can be more logical than that?
I'd be a very happy man today if, when I have difficulty with the automobile I drive, I had the privilege of turning it over for its repair, its necessary correction, to the man who designed this manufacturer, who outlined every part and every bit of working mechanism in that car. If I could turn it over to him personally to have him either make or supervise the necessary repairs, I'd consider myself very fortunate. Still, many of us balk at the idea of turning our lives and our wills over to God.
Who is better qualified to show us how we can be most happily lived? But I know that I'm no different than any of the rest. I still fought with the idea. When I finally surrendered to the idea that that was the most logical move to make, acceptance of this program became much, much easier. Obviously, the most natural manner of communication with that God for all of us, I think, is prayer. And I think that the amount of success and how quickly we may gain success in the formulation of a program in Alcoholics Anonymous depends largely on how quickly we develop this habit.
There again, prayer is something entirely different to me today than it was in my early years. The Our Father with which we close our meetings, I had said perhaps a hundred thousand times prior to coming into AA, but never did it have the meaning, phrase for phrase, that it has acquired since I came into the program. Let's stop and think for a minute just how much prayer may have to do with my being here at all. I think many of us can look back, as I most certainly must, and realize that the very reason I am here at all today, that the reason that I approached AA, in my case certainly, was the result of prayer. Not my prayer, but the constant and devout prayer of a wife who saw me throwing my life down the drain, who prayed constantly and prayed fervently that I would wake up before it was too late and realize the error of my ways. That was prayer. It was prayer that led me here, and I know that it's prayer that can keep me here, because that is the obvious line of communication between me and the mind maker, the very same one who divinely inspired this program.
I have found out in AA that the definition of prayer, lifting our minds and hearts to God, means exactly that. It needn't be a formal thing. It needn't be a lengthy thing. The simple, thy will not mine be done, is as effective as anything I have ever done. As Effective as Anything I Have Ever Heard, Seen, or Read,
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The Little Prayer Which We Have Adopted as Our Own, The Serenity Prayer, Which Goes Back, I Understand, to Time Immemorial, There Is Much Debate As to When It Originated, A Question As to Who Should Be Given Credit for Having Originated It, Goes Back Many, Many Years, Even Centuries, It Embraces Just About Everything We Need to Live, We Dissect It Thought by Thought, God Grant Me the Serenity to Accept the Things I Cannot Change, Courage to Change the Things I Can, Wisdom to Know the Difference, The Things I Cannot Change, What Are They? Perhaps My Environment, The People With Whom I Have to Live, The Family In Which I Was Born, The Work That I Have to Do, Perhaps the Only Thing I'm Equipped to Do, The Area In Which I Have to Live, The Problems Which Are Not Securely Only to Me, But Which Everybody Else Has to Face, Many of These Things I Have No Chance of Changing, I'm Powerless to Do Anything About Them, But the Courage to Change the Things I Can, The Program Quickly Taught Me What Number One Is in That Category, Wally K. Himself, That's the One Thing in the Whole Setup that I Can and Should Change, That's the One Thing that I Had to Change, That's the One Thing that I Still Have to Change, The Courage to Know the Difference, Tying the Two Together, Recognize Which I Can and Should Change and Which I Cannot Change, Which I Should Therefore Accept and Not Fight, The Secondary Thought in the Spiritual Way of Life is, We're Still in the Area of Thinking, Thinking is a Matter of and Influences our Attitude, Our Attitude Toward Life in General, The People With Whom We Associate, The People With Whom We Live, The People With Whom We Work, The Attitude We Have in Our Everyday Living, What Does AA Teach Us with Respect to Attitude?
I have heard it paraphrased not once, but many, many times, that our attitude should be one of gratitude. That's a very obvious statement. I'm asking God every day of my life to do things for me. Many times when I have received these things I have asked for, and there just by way of digression I might mention the fact that I've heard it said many times, be careful what you pray for because you might get it.
We should be a little bit choosy, exercise a bit of wisdom in what we do ask for. That's why I feel that it's a lot safer merely to ask thy will and not mine. Let him decide what's best for me and whether I'm ready to have it then or not. But that attitude of gratitude, how often don't we forget after we have received things? Forget to say thank you. I'm speaking of the things we ask for in our prayers.
I don't think anywhere is the thought better expressed, the human side of God, than in that story in the Bible that tells about the curing of the ten lepers, in which if I recall correctly, I am not an authority on the Bible, there are many out in the audience that can probably quote passage after passage, and put me to shame, but a few of them do stick in my mind, and this one in particular. The story of the ten lepers who approached the Lord and were cured, and he told them to go and show themselves to the high priest.
And on the way to the high priest, they discovered that they had been cleansed. One returned. The words, as I recall, that are attributed to the Lord at that particular moment are,
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where are the other nine? Were not ten made clean? To me that points up the human facet of our Lord, that he fully expects us at least to say thank you for the benefits received. And let's be practical about it. Don't we find it a lot easier to approach somebody and ask him for a favor after we have been very certain to thank him for past favors received, or if we put ourselves in a lot more comfortable and better bargaining position?
I know I find myself very much embarrassed if I have to go to somebody seeking a favor, seeking some special consideration. And as I'm approaching him, I realize that I never did say thank you for the last one I got. I don't feel that I'm in any better bargaining position if that is, has been my attitude to forget to say thank you. The gratitude to my way of thinking is a very, very important thing to develop in my way of thinking.
I must be grateful for what I receive. I must be grateful for what I have. Perhaps it's not everything I think I should have. But Lord, let me be grateful for what I have been given. Charity is a dominating emotion or a dominating facet of our thinking in AA, as it rightly should be. We have heard many, many times we cannot keep this program unless we make every effort to give it away. By trying to help the alcoholic who still suffers, I strengthen my own program. I strengthen myself.
I gain more help for myself. I can't do it without trying to help the fellow who still suffers. When we say it's a selfish program, I believe we mean only that I have to do it for myself, not tie it in with any other consideration, not do it because my wife wants me to stay sober or because my boss expects me to stay sober. I've got to do it for myself. But the selfish doesn't apply beyond that point.
My way of thinking, it is perhaps the most selfless program that has ever been devised. I recently heard several accolades given to the fellowship as a whole in two rather unusual and unexpected places. One of these was down at Notre Dame. I've had the privilege of making what they call a big retreat down there for the past ten years. And I don't recall for certain now whether it was last year or the year before, mid-August, conducting a retreat for some 1,800 men, men who had traveled from all over the United States and even parts of Canada to be a part of this retreat.
This, by the way, was not an AA retreat. It's been going on for close to 50 years now. The priest who has been responsible for the organization and direction of those retreats was himself the retreat master this year. And in the course of one of the conferences, the word charity was discussed, and Christian charity in particular. And this priest, who has had numberless contacts with men from all over these United States during the past 20 years in which he has conducted these retreats, startled me with this statement.
He said that the most remarkable example of Christian unity in action, Christian charity in action that he had ever come in contact with
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was to be found in alcoholic phenomena. That was an accolade that I like to remember, one that I don't want to forget because it does, to me, symbolize the very essence of our movement. I heard the very same thought expressed from the pulpit of the church which I attend recently by a Carmelite priest who is not himself a member of the program, is not in any way associated with it, but is an ardent admirer, has many, many friends and acquaintances whom he has seen derive much untold benefit from, recognizes it as the greatest force working in the world today toward the gaining and maintenance of sobriety for the alcoholic.
In closing, may I just say one, give one last thought. This will be a bit repetitious. I was privileged to be a part of the first Chicago conference six years ago in a relatively small hall out on Belmont Avenue. I was privileged at that time to chair the last meeting and in that last meeting I mentioned one expression which I would like you to carry, I ask again, that you carry away with you when you leave this conference today.
I'd like you to bear in mind the true and literal meaning of the expression Vaya con Dios. Vaya con Dios, literally translated is go with God. Now it is roughly the equivalent of our expression goodbye, which I am told is a contraction and is an outgrowth of the much longer expression God go with you. Vaya con Dios is just the reverse of that. Not God go with you, but go with God. That's the thought I'd like to remind myself and ask all of you to carry away with you, is that if we continue to try to go with God, Vaya con Dios, get on God's side, not ask him to get on our side, now we may be wrong, but if I make every effort, a determined and a sincere effort, to stay on God's side, to remember to pray thy will and not mine be done, I think I am assured of remaining, until they put me six feet under, happily here in this program of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Thank you. Thank you, Walter. Excuse me one minute. All that time to take care of the necessary things of life and I have to wait till now. That's me, last minute, five. At this point I have a few announcements to make, not many, I won't keep you long. I'd like to announce the Illinois Downstate AA Spring Conference, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 27th, 28th and 29th, at the Decatur, Illinois. No registration free, fee, excuse me, and no collection.
I also want to take this opportunity to introduce myself. See, I do everything backwards. My name is Bob and I'm an alcoholic. Hi. I also have developed another little thing, a little gimmick, as many of us have gimmicks in AA, and that is when I leave my friends, I always leave them with the same greeting and I'm going to leave you today with that same word. I thank the people in back, before I close, for their quietness.
I'm sure the speaker is joining in that and it was a real pleasure. You couldn't hear a pin drop up here and I hid the pin on the table too. But I will leave you with this one word. But I will leave you with this one word. Peace.
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I have to make some announcements. We have lots of literature left on the back table. Grapevines at 35 cents. We have big books, stools and bottles, red books. There's a great deal of literature that's free. We've even got envelopes to carry it away in. Don't forget to stop at the back table. This is the Lost and Found Department, too. Did anyone lose a black net? This obviously belongs to one of the ladies.
Well, I don't know where the voice or where the hair is. I can see now where Bob got his pin. There's about 12 of them laying up here on the table. And that's what we're going to keep dropping for the next talk. We hope that everyone in the back will be considerate of our speaker. Keep it down to a roar.