On the other hand, millions have
used the Big Book and gotten sober--a miracle indeed.
My hunch is that the first 164
pages of the Big Book work so well is because of the honesty you'll
find there. It's well known that Bill W. was the primary writer, but he
didn't do it alone. He had Dr. Bob and the others around him to keep him
honest. And they did!
Of course, I don't know exactly
how it happened, but I have a vision of Bill, in his living room with Lois
making coffee for the gang that had showed up that evening. Cigarette
smoke would have been thick, and so would the story telling. He reaches
behind him and pulls out a handwritten manuscript and passes a part to
each man there, expecting, I suspect, that praise would be heaped on his
head for his efforts.
Instead he was probably greeted
with both guffaws of laughter and serious criticism. It must have been
difficult for him, but he took in the information and rewrote. This process
must have happened over and over again. Finally, some woman typed up a version,
using carbon paper so three or four could be made at once.
More red pens flew and there were discussions
that must
have threatened to turn into horrid disagreements. But gradually, the Big
Book as we know it, was hammered out.
You see, not only was Bill willing
to take criticism, but he and the people helping him had actually begun to live a
spiritual way of life. That spirit influenced every word, phrase,
sentence, paragraph and chapter that eventually became the first 164 pages
of Big Book.
Incredibly honest
So what we have is an incredibly
honest description of how the original 100 or so got sober--informed by
spirit. As the Foreword to the First Edition says:
To show other alcoholics precisely
how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book.
It's the synergy of sprit--informed
honesty coupled with the desire to show others exactly what worked for
them that makes the magic in the Big Book. They succeeded beyond
their wildest dreams (and they had some wild ones from time-to-time). When
we pick up the Big Book we have in our hands a how-to book, a set
of instructions that when followed give us the promised results.
If we skip the book and depend
only on the Steps on the Wall we deny ourselves the gems and context and
understanding that makes the Program so very successful.
Love, peace and
abundance,
