Why the Order of the Steps Matters – 1965 – John P.

About This Speaker Tape

Northeast Texas Roundup - 1965

A luau in Honolulu during World War II serves as the opening image for John P.'s dissection of the 12 Steps. He rejects the idea that the steps can be taken out of order arguing instead that they form a logical sequential cycle of diagnosis solution and application. He distinguishes between the intellectual act of admitting powerlessness and the voluntary act of accepting it warning against the resentment of being an alcoholic. John P. frames the later steps as a process of clearing away the debris of acute alcoholism using the metaphor of a business inventory to describe the moral inventory. He emphasizes the necessity of the 'I' pronoun over the 'we' in personal recovery and concludes with a wartime memory of standing on a ship's deck in total silence fearing Japanese submarines only to find a sudden inexplicable peace.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:45 Laughter: The story of the luau punch bowls and the 'objective identification' of an alcoholic.
• 6:15 Discussion on the necessity of the sequential order of the 12 Steps.
• 11:30 Analysis of Step 1: The difference between admitting and accepting powerlessness.
• 16:45 Step 2 and the concept of 'sanity' as being made 'whole' again.
• 22:10 Step 4: Using the business metaphor of a merchant's inventory to describe the moral inventory.
• 31:40 Step 6 and 7: The theological discussion on free will and the 'perils of prayer'.
• 38:15 Step 9: The 'zigzag' walk through Philadelphia to avoid creditors.
• 45:20 Step 10: The 'tenth step call' to reconcile a disagreement with a friend.
• 52:10 Step 11: The importance of prayer and meditation to avoid boredom in sobriety.
• 58:30 Step 12: Warning against 'two-steppers' and the 'fireman's hat' approach to service.
• 65:10 Closing story: The silence on the ship's deck during WWII and the feeling of being in a Higher Power's care.