Star Wars & Recovery

By Kevin Basil

For decades, Star Wars has captivated audiences like no other franchise in history. It has spawned countless movies, books, television series, toys and games, and gone on to make billions not because of its special effects and action sequences, but because of its universal tales of struggle, comradery, and the triumph over evil. This too is the tale of those suffering from addiction.
In STAR WARS & RECOVERY, the parallels between the Star Wars universe and addiction are explored using examples from the films themselves. From the Force and spirituality to sponsorship and the relationship between a Master and Padawan, comparisons are drawn that make the principles of recovery more accessible and understandable for all. Whether you're in recovery or or just curious, this book has something for everyone.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kevin Basil
• Release date: Mar 2, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370154838

Kevin Basil

Kevin Basil is an up-and-coming Indie Author born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While Kevin holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, writing has always been his passion. His first book, Suffer No More, was published in 2007, shortly after his High School graduation. By using words and a little imagination, he plans to spread his messages and his stories to the world one reader at a time. As a result of his background in Business education and his dream of entrepreneurship, Kevin has chosen to create, publish and market his works without the assistance of large publishing companies.

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STAR WARS & RECOVERY

KEVIN BASIL

Copyright © 2018 Kevin Basil

All rights reserved.

Smashwords Edition

ISBN: 1984268872

ISBN-13: 978-1984268877

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to all those whose lives have been impacted by addiction. If you have found recovery, hang on to it with all your strength and be a beacon of hope for those still doing battle. If you have not yet found your way, follow the light of those who have and latch on for dear life. And to those poor torture souls we’ve lost, you will never be forgotten. Also to my dear Lucy, who is as big a fan of Star Wars as I am. May the Force be with you always, my angel.

CONTENTS

Introduction

1 A Change Occurs

2 The Dark Side

3 The Force

4 Faith

5 Intuition

6 Learning the Way

7 Fear and Hate

8 Pride and Ego

9 Mindfulness

10 Love and Tolerance

11 Finding Purpose in Pain

12 The Family Disease

13 Do or Do Not

14 Pass It On

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to offer my sincere thanks to Cynthia Shanley for all her help and advice on this book. I could not have done it without you and I cannot express my gratitude for the work you so generously put in to help make this book happen. And to my test readers, especially those who don’t know a thing about Star Wars and still took the time to read this. I appreciate each and every one of you more than you could ever know.

PREFACE

I feel it is important to start this book off with an explanation of how it came to be because it relates to some of the things you’ll read later. I didn’t set out to write this book. As with RELAX & RECOVER and everything else recovery-related that I create, it just happened. I call it a God thing- something that was meant to happen and that happened exactly how it was supposed to. I’m just along for the ride. Most of the incredible things that happen in my life happen just like that and I owe it all to my own recovery and my ability to let go of my urge to control everything, get out of my own way, and let the God of my understanding take the reins. I am but an instrument, as evidenced by this book’s existence.

I am a Star Wars fan and have been since I was a young boy. I won’t lie and say I’m the biggest fan in the world or even pretend to be (I’m nothing if not honest), but I do love the movies. As I sat down one day to watch Episode 1 (I know what you’re thinking, but come on… it wasn’t that bad), I simply wanted to enjoy the movie and zone out for a bit. I had no way of knowing the journey that watching that movie once again would set me on, much like Luke had no way of knowing the journey two seemingly innocent droids would set him on.

Regardless of how many times I have seen the Star Wars films since I got sober, I never made the connections I started to make that day between what was in the films and the principles I have learned in recovery. Something about that day and the place I was at in my life and my recovery made me more open to those connections I suppose, and I started to slowly see addiction and recovery in everything unfolding on the screen before me. As I watched, one thing after another came to me and I thought, Well, isn’t that interesting? Halfway through the film I paused it and started really thinking about all those thoughts swirling in my head. How had I missed it all before? I started thinking about some of the scenes and situations in the other films and how they related to recovery principles as well. If you aren’t creative, I’m not sure I can accurately describe the electricity that runs through you when you know you’re onto something great. It’s a special kind of energy and an excitement, almost like being alive again. For me, thinking about it now, it’s much like that first drink always used to made me feel. Perhaps you can understand it better that way.

Knowing this was something I had to pursue, I grabbed an empty notebook and restarted the movie. I spent the next few days watching Episodes 1-6, pausing frequently to make notes of everything I thought related to recovery. In the end, I had pages and pages of notes and quotes from the films. I won’t go into the mundane details of how I wrote the book from there, but what I will say is that I never had a choice.

Like I said, I’m just an instrument. This book was supposed to be written and I honestly believe I was just the one chosen to do it. The thought never crossed my mind that I didn’t want to write it, that it was too much time and energy, or that maybe nobody would care even if I did go through with it. The fact that it was going to be written and I would be the one to write it was a certainty from the onset. And I am so thankful for that.

I learned so much more about my own recovery through this journey than I thought possible. It was a cathartic experience to actually explore how I felt about certain topics and to revisit some of my own life experiences. That’s the reason we share our experience, strength, and hope in recovery - to help others and to help ourselves. As I sat there on the couch with my notebook of ideas and the closing credits scrolled down the screen and the musical genius of John Williams filled the room, my intention wasn’t to inspire or help anyone. I had no intentions. All I knew was that I was going to write the book. That’s all I ever know.

After I completed the writing and shared it with a few people I thought would enjoy it, I found myself asking the question I dread most: What now? As I’ve said, I never have any intentions regarding my writing. I don’t believe I have a choice in writing. The ideas and thoughts haunt me until I’ve seen them through on paper. I saw it through and wrote the book, but I didn’t know if it was worth doing anything with it. The part that made it a God thing happened shortly thereafter.

As I sat on the telephone talking to someone about the quandary I found myself in over what to do with the book - if anything - yet another revelation hit me. I had to share it. The person on the other end of the line kept asking if I was still there because I had gone silent, lost in my thoughts. I was thinking of a man I recently met in recovery. It is not my place to share any information about him because that is his story, not mine (and a great one it is). What I can say is that, though he is sober and has been for a while now, the consequences of his drinking are still not over. He is in a tough situation and facing some unpleasant circumstances, but he is facing it with his head up like we are taught to in recovery. He is braver than I think I could ever be and I find the grace with which he is handling everything to be incredibly inspiring. One thing that he and I share - aside from alcoholism - is a love of Star Wars. It was on that telephone call that I realized perhaps this was all for him. Maybe I finally made those connections and wrote the book when I did so he could have this book. That’s not to say this book is only for him; rather, he was the motivation I needed to see it through.

I told the person I was on the phone with what I had realized and they said simply, I guess you have your answer. I smiled, appreciating the infinite wisdom of my Higher Power and the part I have to play in this world. I don’t know what is going to happen with this book, but I know the gentleman I spoke of will read it and that’s all that really matters. One person getting one thing from it will mean it was time well spent. That’ll make it all worth it. Hopefully other people like it as well and that will be an incredible bonus, but I now understand my purpose and I’m okay with it. I’m happy for it.

To close, I hope you get something out of this book. I hope it makes the principles of recovery more accessible to people who maybe haven’t given it a thought before or don’t fully understand it. Many people have asked what I’ll do next and whether or not I’ll do another book like this one. I honestly don’t know. This one wasn’t planned and I’m sure whatever comes next won’t be either. All I can hope for in my life is to be of service to others and to share my own experience, strength, and hope in an effort to keep myself sober and maybe help someone else do the same. That is what my Higher Power has asked of me and I am grateful to be put in a position to see it through one day at a time.

Introduction

I’d like to make a few points about this book before we get started, just to cover all the bases. While this book is geared toward people in recovery from addictions, the principles of recovery can change the lives of anyone, whether they have an addiction or not. It is my hope that this book can be embraced by all people.

You’ll notice that I continue to refer to recovery and throughout this book I will reference a recovery program or 12 step program. There are many fellowships based on the original 12 steps of Alcoholic Anonymous such as Narcotics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, and so on. Because anonymity is such a central tradition in these fellowships, I have refrained from referring to my membership in any specific fellowship. Anonymity is important, as is not representing oneself as any one of those fellowships. While the ideas in this book are centered around many of the principles of these fellowships, what is written is my understanding and opinion of them and mine alone.

Regarding the content of the book, I mentioned that it covers Episodes 1-6 in the film series. I know there is a wealth of other material and information out there between the books, television series, animated films, and the newer films, but I limited the scope of this book to the first six episodes for a couple reasons. First, much of the story arc of Anakin, Luke, Leia, and Han was completed in Episode 6. While they are featured in the newer films, those story arcs are not complete, so it would be harder to be able to tie things together as I have for the first six episodes. Second, this book is meant to serve as an introduction to some of the recovery principles for people who may not know about or understand them. I believe I have done that successfully using the first six episodes and fear that using more material would only add more examples to topics already covered and serve to bore you. This is about recovery, not Star Wars, so please forgive me for not including every single thing. Feel free to make connections of your own using the other material. Have fun with it and see what you can find. You’ll be surprised at what’s out there if only you know to look.

1

A Change Occurs

Anakin Skywalker is a perfect example of how a person can be changed as a result of having this disease. He starts out an innocent, compassionate young boy with dreams of being the first to see all the planets in the galaxy. He does his duties without complaint and has a loving relationship with his mother. While his life as a slave is not the best, he knows that it could be much worse. He is incredibly smart and talented, especially for a boy his age, and aspires to someday become a great pilot and fly himself and his mother someplace better. By all appearances, he is a regular if not gifted child with grand hopes and ideas.

However good Anakin started out, in the end we know that he becomes the polar opposite of the boy he once was. This is not an overnight change, but a gradual and progressive one that takes years to come to fruition. As he trains to become a Jedi his abilities slowly cause him to become arrogant. He loses that humility that he once had as a boy and becomes a selfish, resentful, and angry man. Through years of nudging and molding by Senator Palpatine, as well as his own inner struggles and confusion, Anakin gradually moves closer and closer to the dark side of the Force. The love and compassion in him becomes replaced by fear, anger, and hatred. He loses the mother he once dreamed of saving and is then confronted with the fear of losing his wife. He allows himself to get so caught up in those fears that they become the central focus of his life. The dark side grows within him, empowering him and giving him the feeling that he can finally be in control of not only his life, but of the lives of those around him. Palpatine is patient, knowing that in time he will not need to force Anakin, because Anakin will eventually join him willingly. Such is the power of the dark side.

Don’t we all know a lot of those feelings? Haven’t we shared similar experiences? Most of us start out as happy and caring children with love and hope in our hearts. There is an innocence about us when we are young, before life gets a chance to change us. We have more joy in our lives because they are simpler. We appreciate the little things, we form bonds and relationships, and we dream of bright futures. We feel things. We understand compassion and love on some deeper level before greed and that dog-eat-dog mentality corrupts us. We allow our dreams to consume us and we imagine ourselves being doctors, firefighters, policemen, or even the president. We express ourselves creatively, verbally, and physically. For most of us, our biggest fears are the dark or the bugs that inhabit it. As young children, we really are like the most beautiful vases, molded by loving hands and decorated in sparkling rubies and gems. It is throughout the remaining years of our lives that those decorations become scuffed and worn, tarnished by the outside world.

I cannot say that my childhood was particularly bad or traumatic. Before recovery and putting the steps in my life I thought it was awful, but in hindsight I see now that it was a pretty good childhood. I was loved, cared for, and protected from a lot of things. I never wanted for anything that I truly needed. In fact, I had a lot more than was necessary. My parents did more than I could ever imagine to ensure I was a happy child. I had friends, I laughed, and I had joy in my life. Still, as I got older, life seemed to get worse. I often wondered how it was possible that the world around me could be getting so bad so quickly. Why was I the single witness to it all while the rest of the world went on like nothing was wrong? I see now that the world is pretty much the same as it has always been, give or take a few details. As it turns out, I was the one who was doing the changing. It seems so silly now, thinking that I was the only person in the entire world who could see what was happening when I was really the one most blind to what was actually going on. The world stayed the same and I changed within it.

I began to pull away from the people around me, secluding myself more and more as time went on. I know now that I did that as a result of many deep and powerful fears that I let take control of me. I was insecure and afraid of being hurt by the world and everyone in it. My insecurities themselves were powerful and stemmed from fear. I did not think that I was smart enough or cool enough. I saw other kids starting to date, but I did not believe that I could get a girlfriend on account of my glasses, my braces, and being overweight.