Higher and Friendly Powers

For many years, a copy of The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James has been sitting on my shelf. Although it is a well-used copy, there's nothing in particular that comes to mind when looking at it. That I do not remember much is the case with many books that I have read or spent time with – which sometimes makes me wonder why I still bother to read books. In the case of Peg O'Connor's Higher and Friendly Powers it is the fact that I greatly benefitted from her Life on the Rocks.

We do not come from nowhere, we are biological continuations of our ancestors. Hence to put the tale of the James-family at the beginning of this work makes a lot of sense. "Suffering  As the Family Business' reads one of the titles; moreover, also alcohol was no stranger to this family. In other words: William James was familiar with suffering. And, he put it to good use. "In many ways, William James accomplished great things, not despite his suffering, but because of it."

Many suffering from addiction will scoff at experts who have never experienced destructive dependency themselves. William James however was an expert who knew what he was talking about. Peg O'Connor describes him as an extraordinarily "astute and sympathetic chronicler of suffering." And this is what most probably made him become an influential figure for Bill Wilson, one of the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).

Quite some  people I've come across in my sober years take issue with 'this God-thing' in AA. This is a Christian programme, they say, and therefore not for me. Despite having spent a few unhappy years in a Christian boarding school, I've never had such objections. And, while much attracted and influenced by Buddhist thought, I consider Christian values as fundamentally universal values.

Peg O'Connor's reasoning however makes me consider the "God language" of AA differenty. "The God of AA is a Christian God; it is a providential God who has dominion over us. This type of God does things to or for us while also having a plan for us. Our human agency consists in figuring out that plan and acting appropriately on the basis of it." The problem with this is that it might put off people who adhere to other spiritual beliefs. "Had Bill Wilson heeded the suggestions of Hank Parkhurst, one of the earliest members of AA, about the 'God language,' AA would have been more inclusive, thereby offering help to a greater number of struggling people."

"Over-beliefs" is a term that stands for unquestioned assumptions and an often inherited framework respectively that enable us "to make sense of our experiences and we interpret the world and other people's experiences using our own concepts and preconceptions." Peg O'Connor argues that Bill Wilson's over-beliefs surely influenced the phrasing of the twelve steps of AA, and that William James was more open to people of other than Christian beliefs – his tome was called Varieties after all. 

Instead of contributing to the well-deserved praise by academic philosophers for this book, I feel like pointing out aspects that impact my own thinking and make a difference in my daily life. First and foremost, Peg O'Connor's thoughts on 'surrender' that she describes as putting down a burden. To surrender or renounce "is to put down beliefs and attitudes toward something – in this case the use of drugs, alcohol, or certain activities – and to change one's actions. To renounce is to take an active stance toward change."

And then there's this absolutely wonderful and illuminating remark on what makes AA essentially tick – the honest storytelling. "Our stories help other people to make sense of themselves. We also become more able to make better sense of ourselves. Each of us is an expert of his or her own experience; we do not need to have specialists or professionals interpreting our stories and their meaning." 

We are all different; what works for one person may not work for another. A conversion may be experienced by sick souls or healthy-minded persons; some have to reach rock bottom, others not. For a conversion to happen, it is not only imperative to recognise the present wrongness from which one wants to escape but to replace the negative vision of life with a positive one. To become willing to believe in something bigger than oneself; I would definitely consider a positive vision.

So far, I haven't given "God" or "Higher Power" much thought beyond of what an AA-friend once said: 'The only thing I know about God is, it is not me.' William James' elaborations however clearly expand my view. "All that the facts require is that the power should be both other and larger than our conscious selfes."

We human beings are an amazingly varied species. And, while we arrive on this planet with lots of inherited traits, we are not doomed to spend our lifes governed by our over-beliefs. But is there free will? Peg O'Connor's attitude is pragmatic and useful: "What would it be like to believe in free will – that our actions can and will make a difference? What if we made the bargain that James did, choosing to believe that our actions make a real difference and discovering that that belief itself makes a real difference?"

A philosophical tome of practical relevance. A rarity!

Peg O'Connor

Higher and Friendly Powers

Transforming Addiction and Suffering

Wildhouse Publications, Boston, Massachusetts, 2022