[PW] Fame of Serenity Prayer

Fri Jun 13 07:37:51 PDT 2008

Here are a few things. The first being from Alcoholics Anonymous of course. Chapter information included, most had no chapter numbers: 

 4
The Meeting 

RITUAL AND CEREMONIAL STRUCTURE OF THE AA MEETING

Most of the meetings concluded this opening ritual, with the Serenity Prayer, 
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage 
to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference." This is recited 
in unison by all who wish to participate after observing a moment of silence 
"for all those who are still out there suffering." -Page 55

All members of AA with any significant length of sobriety will readily admit 
that they had to begin to practice acceptance in their daily lives in order to 
recover from alcoholism. When the Serenity Prayer--"God grant me the serenity 
to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and 
wisdom to know the difference"--is invoked it is an effective summary of one of 
the most important changes that they had to make in their system of belief. -Page 94

Danny M. Wilcox, Alcoholic Thinking Language, Culture, and Belief in Alcoholics 
Anonymous (Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1998) 
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Phase II: Primary Treatment

"We often use the Serenity Prayer as part of the assigned work of Step 3." We close each therapeutic (page 272)

group session with it. We encourage clients to use it as a tool for coping with 
everyday stresses of living as well as with maintaining sobriety.Dan's Step 3, 
developed by the counseling team with Dan's input, includes the following tasks:
•     Draw a picture of your Higher Power,
•     Explain how you communicate with your Higher Power.
•     Give examples of what these phrases of the Serenity Prayer mean to you: 
“things I can't change, ” “things I can change, ”
•     List ways you have changed in treatment,
•     Tell what things you will do to support your sobriety during the first week 
after treatment,
•     List five goals you have as a sober person,
•     Draw a picture of yourself after 1 year of sobriety. (page 273)

Debra Guthmann, and Katherine A. Sandberg, "7 Culturally Affirmative Substance Abuse 
Treatment for Deaf People: Approaches, Materials, and Administrative Considerations," 
Mental Health Care of Deaf People: A Culturally Affirmative Approach, ed. Neil S. 
Glickman and Sanjay Gulati (Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2003) 272
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37 LAST STRAW
NANCY 

"At night I would look at the twinkling lights, wondering if Johnny were even 
alive. I said the Serenity Prayer like a mantra, like counting sheep, to quell 
my nightmares. Maybe he'd been knifed in the back behind some liquor 
store." [quoting Nancy Steinbeck] 

John Steinbeck, and Nancy Steinbeck, Life with John Steinbeck Life with 
John Steinbeck (Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2001) 277
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journeys

For Dad the experience was profound, it was emotionally intense yet 
also cathartic. Though not a (page 130) 

religious person he found himself reciting the serenity prayer as we 
wandered around the hut and the school.

Oh God, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, 
the Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the 
difference.

Somewhere in those words he found understanding. Events in his life 
that he had never understood now seemed to make sense. Stories could 
be placed in their context. Nanna and Emily could be appreciated for the  incredibly complex people that they were. Now their experiences had a 
meaning, their sufferings had a purpose. We could not change it but we 
could know it. (page 131) 

Lynette Russell, A Little Bird Told Me: Family Secrets, Necessary Lies 
(Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin, 2002)
--------------------------------

Unstuck in Time Simultaneity as a Foundation for Vonnegut's Chrono-Synclastic 
Infundibula and other Nonlinear Time Structures Sharon Sieber 

Slaughterhouse-Five's Billy Pilgrim is a seasoned time-traveler, yet there is a  naivete about him which experience can't change, and knowing the secrets of  past and future, life and death, does not and cannot give Billy the power to change the present. The prayer framed on Billy Pilgrim's office wall, and which 
is worn simultaneously by his kidnapped mate on the planet Tralfamadore, the  one-time earthling pornography star Montana Wildhack, is the famous "Serenity 
Prayer," which calls for acceptance and courage. Ironically, the reader is  immediately told in juxtaposition to this prayer that "among the things Billy Pilgrim could not change were the past, the present, and the future" 
(Slaughterhouse, 60). There are profound contradictions in this powerlessness, such as the main character's being compelled to stand back and watch his 
own life from a distance, knowing that the outcome cannot change. Separated  from that outcome by the certain foreknowledge of what is about to happen,  belying the surface assertions of what is really happening, Billy gets on the 
plane in spite of the fact that he knows it's going to crash 

Kurt Vonnegut: Images and Representations, ed. Marc Leeds and Peter J. 
Reed (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2000) 147
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History Of the Serenity Prayer
http://www.thevoiceforlove.com/serenity-prayer.html

The serenity prayer is referenced in Dan Brown's book,"Angels & Demons." 
The back cover of the Neil Young's album entitled "Re-ac-tor" includes the  serenity prayer in Latin. 
Whitney Houston's debut album, "Whitney," includes a reference to the 
serenity prayer on the rear cover.
The 70's rock group, Boston, sings about the serenity prayer in the song, 
"Higher Power."
Sinéad O'Connor, the once famous bald singer of the 90s, references the 
serenity prayer in her song, "Feel So Different."
Well-known rapper, 50 Cent raps the first two lines of the serenity prayer in 
his song, Gotta Make It To Heaven. He says, "Lord, grant me the serenity to  accept the things I can not change, the courage to change the things I can, 
but wisdom to know the difference."
The soundtrack of the "Soul Food" movie addresses the serenity prayer. 
Famous 60's writer, Kurt Vonnegut, mentions the serenity prayer in his book, "Slaughterhouse Five."
The serenity prayer has even made its way into the gaming world. In the  well-known game, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, one of the Blood  Elves recites the serenity prayer. 
In 2004, punk band Blood for Blood titled their album "Serenity," sings a song  about the serenity prayer on track 2 of their album, and the lead singer recites  the serenity prayer on the first and last tracks of the album. 
Finally, Olivia Newton John's Album, Stronger Than Before, includes a song  entitled "Serenity," and references the serenity prayer within it. 

"Shapiro, Fred" <fred.shapiro at yale.edu> wrote: 
For a very important article on the Serenity Prayer I am writing on deadline, I need a few statements from prominent sources attesting to the fame of the Serenity Prayer. I would welcome suggestions of statements about its being one of the most famous prayers of all time, about its influence on the lives of prominent people or large numbers of ordinary people, or about its importance in Alcoholics Anonymous, as well as references to the SP in important works of literature or other important books or films or songs.  Because I am on deadline, responses today or tomorrow would be particularly valuable.

I already know about the references in the Wikipedia article on the Serenity Prayer.

Fred Shapiro
_______________________________________________
Project Wombat
list at project-wombat.org
http://www.project-wombat.org/

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"We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the 
power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power 
to imagine better." J.K. Rowling, 5 June 2008, 357th Harvard Commencement, Harvard University