The more we learn, the less we believe to be true
—Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend
The more we prove, the more remains to be proved
We’ve got to have faith in something bigger
Faith in something bigger
Faith in something big inside our self …
Faith in Something Bigger
I remember a friend making jokes about The Who’s lyrics in high school. I laughed right along with everyone else, but secretly still liked the song. My sophomore self felt there had to be something beyond platitudes I heard from clergy whose actions didn’t seem all that loving.
In this issue, Claire A. has faith in hard work and exercise. She does an inward eye roll when her sponsor mentions prayer (“Something I Still Can’t Name”). John W. has a similar reaction when members say God speaks to us through meetings and pictures Elmer Gantry (“As Love Expresses Itself: Tradition 2”).
Rick R. saw his neighbors walking to church in the 1940s in a scene reminiscent of the psychological climate during A.A.’s early years (“As We Understand God”). Henry Y. describes a different dynamic with authority figures with parent and child roles reversed in “Outside Circumstances.” Carla H. reviews The Recovering in Crime, Punishment & Recovery. Luckily for us, A.A.’s founders didn’t pick any particular religion and we are free to choose our own concept of higher power. For some of us the concept of a loving spirit is barely remembered and we must reimagine what one would be like. Like The Who sang all those years ago, to be strong we can pick out the path again.
Guitar photo by Joanna Avalos
