Building a Life on the Big Book Foundation – Sandy B.

About This Speaker Tape

A 'prodigal son journey' defines the closing of 'Far Corners,' a spiritual retreat Sandy B. presents as a way to lead members away from the program and then back to the Big Book with a deeper perspective. He dismantles the idea that recovery is a complex science arguing instead for an 'utter simplicity' that often irritates the self-centered alcoholic who prefers complication as an excuse for failure.

Sandy B. shares the wreckage of his Marine Corps career recalling the shame of a forced grounding after experiencing withdrawal in the cockpit of an F-8 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He contrasts the haunting nature of the past with the transformative power of the steps noting how a chance encounter 40 years later revealed that the colleagues he thought despised him actually mourned his departure.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Sandy B. explains the history and intent of the Far Corners retreat.
• 5:15 Discussion on the 'prodigal son journey' and returning to the Big Book.
• 12:40 Laughter: Sandy B.'s story about failing to see a 3D hologram.
• 20:10 Sandy B. quotes the Big Book regarding the 'fourth dimension of existence'.
• 26:30 Analysis of the 'utter simplicity' of the program and the resistance of the ego.
• 35:15 The 'spiritual heist of the century' and the origins of the society.
• 44:20 Sandy B. describes the shame of his Marine Corps aviation career and the F-8 incident.
• 52:10 The realization that his perspective of the past was inaccurate and the power of amends.
• 58:45 Discussion on the 'miracle' of sobriety and the 'trick' of taking credit for the steps.
• 1:05:20 The role of James N. and the Oxford Group in bringing the program to Akron.