Jenga is a child’s game of blocks and towers; alcoholics play an adult version of Jenga.
The child’s game consists of wooden blocks; the child stacks them up in a tower, then the blocks are removed, one at a time. Eventually, the tower begins to totter. The final block pulled, the tower clatters onto the floor.
The young child gathers all the blocks and stacks them up again, making a new tower, followed by block removal, one at a time. It totters, then collapses. Children can be occupied with this for hours. Over and over, Jenga towers are built, then collapsed.
We see this in AA, sobriety for some looks like a game of Jenga.
Alcoholics arrive at AA and build a tower using the Program blocks. They have the powerless, unmanageability, and surrender blocks; they are stacked one atop the other. Then the inventory block and the confession block are used to support the defect removal blocks. If the young AA is diligent, the prayer and meditation blocks are included in the tower.
One day they stop building and admire the structure. There is a sense that it is complete and there is nothing more.
Bored, they start removing blocks, one at a time. They lose interest in helping fellow alcoholics. They go to meetings to see what they can get, not what they can give. Next, sponsors are not called, ever, even in a crisis. The Fellowship follows; they don’t have time to go to coffee or even chat on the phone. Then, meeting attendance is removed. One at a time the blocks of sobriety are removed.
Nothing happens for the first few removals; then, the tower starts to totter. A couple more blocks, and the tower collapses down with a crash. Those of us who are still going to meetings, we hear the news, our AA friend is out drinking again.
If he is lucky, he has the blocks and can pick them up again; another tower can be built. Some do this over and over.
But many more stay around and enjoy their Jenga tower. They may take a block out, study it, show others how to use it, then put it back in the tower. The tower is improving, the blocks are shared, and their knowledge of the blocks is more profound.
Two ways to play AA Jenga.
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What a great message.
I really like this one Andy. Story of many lives.
As a suggestion to the metaphor I would say a couple things. Firstly, Jenga is not much of a child’s game. I have never seen a young child occupied for hours. They are more likely occupied by the block building aspect than the game playing aspect. It is more of an older child’s game.
It is also a game that is best played in a group, not as a solo activity. The joy comes, much in life, in seeing just how far you can push things.
Finally, it is not a game played many times. At all. Ever. By anyone. I have never played Jenga more than twice in a row. And I have played some Jenga in my life. Perhaps others pay for hours. But I think most bore quickly from the failure. So at the end, you either walk away with the blocks in a heap, or you store them in a box that keeps them all in perfect place.
Feel free to use only without credit or throw it in the heap. But as always, thanks for sending it out.
Darren
Thanks Darren, all of what you say is true, but for the metaphor to work I had to massage the image.
Great Metaphor picture Andy!
John