مکاتبات حسین و بیل، پاسخ بیل به مهندس 98/5/3

Dear Hossein,

I wish you well on your travels. 

It is interesting that your experience in Congress 60 is so close to that of the “singleness of purpose” tradition that was part of the foundation of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).  Many of AA’s predecessors had self-destructed due to entanglement in outside political or religious controversies or to involvement in outside business or professional endeavors. The risk of mission drift is very great and you have faithfully steered Congress 60 toward mission fidelity as an ultimate value. There is great wisdom in your statement: “Congress 60 must only focus on addiction treatment and recovery.”  Encouragement for outside service is valued as what members can do as individuals, but Congress 60 focus must remain within the boundaries that you have defined.

As you are likely aware, there are great political divisions in the U.S. at present that has led to fractured relationships with family members, friends, and co-workers. It would be easy for treatment and recovery support organizations to splinter if those divisions were allowed to creep into the work of these organizations. People on all sides of political and religious debates are in need of treatment and recovery support services and those services must remain available to all without being contingent upon a particular set of religious or political beliefs. That is a challenge within the current political climate of the United States. Some recovery advocacy organizations are staying completely out of the political arena while others are saying they support “recovery candidates” (those supporting pro-recovery policies and programs) regardless of their status as Democrats or Republicans. It is a tense time here and divisions are becoming deeper under current leaders.

        I look forward to our continued communications upon your return.       

Friends and brothers forever,

Bill

مترجم: احسان رنجبر