June 21, 2024
Dear Hossein,
I so appreciate your reflections on the role of music within Congress 60. I have only recently come to appreciate the role music can play in recovery. To be addicted is to be self-imprisoned in this all-consuming person-drug relationship—a relationship that pushes our all other relationships and life priorities. It is so self-containing that recovery inevitably involves an escape from this self-entrapment. You and the members of Congress 60 have discovered how music, athletic competition, theatre, art, and poetry can provide a catalyst to carry us beyond ourselves and genuinely connect us with others as part of our recovery journey. Just as the DST method frees our body, these other activities free our soul. I look forward to the translation of the Congress 60 anthem. And my congratulations to Amin for his role in overseeing these expanded musical activities within Congress 60.
Yes, do send more photos of you at the farm. When I receive these, it makes me feel as if I am there with you.
I have received two of the translated forms used to collect information on those entering Congress 60 and know that two other forms are being translated and then sent to me. When I have received all of these as well as any related summary reports, it will help determine what data we might be able to include in our next article collaboration. In the meantime, I have begun looking at what other data sets we might be able to use as comparison data from the United States and other countries. I do not know if this will be possible, but at least want to explore that possibility. The Portal program you describe will be a great aid to us in the future once it is fully implemented.
Your efforts to document the history of Congress 60 by documenting major events and decisions within its meetings are quite commendable. Without such documentation, we are only left with our quite fallible memories. This is why I have worked so hard to document the history of addiction treatment and recovery in the United States and to create archives where its source documents can be preserved.
Your mention of artificial intelligence prompted me to pose a question about Congress 60 on one of the AI apps that I use. I was pleased that in addition to information drawn from your website, they also included information drawn from our earlier articles. I am very pleased that such information will be available through various AI apps in response to international information requests.
I hope you are having pleasant weather in Iran. We have had a week of heavy rain with some local flooding in Florida and are in the midst of record-breaking heat in most of the United States with resulting storms, tornadoes, and wildfires.
Please extend my warmest regards to your family and to all members of Congress 60.
Friends and Brothers Forever