The second session of the 83rd round of Congress 60 workshops in the Academy branch of Congress 60 was administered on November 1st, 2024 at 10 a.m. by Mr. Hossein Dezhakam as the Guardian and Ms. Nahid as the secretary. The agenda was “Golrizan”, Money Donation Ceremony in Congress 60.
Hello friends. I’m Hossein, a traveler. I hope you are all well. Thank God, I am also well. Today is November 1, 2024, and 39 days of autumn have passed. Thankfully, it rains occasionally, which is good, not bad. It’s 10:22 a.m. Naturally, today is Golrizan Day [Money donation ceremony to provide money to buy facilities for Congress 60’s university, lands and buildings]. Today was a very busy day, and I didn’t go to the pool. I came directly for giving the order of Liberation [from addiction], and Amin also helped me, so we managed to handle it.
This week’s meeting topic is Golrizan. Before I get into the discussion, I want to remind you of a point we discussed about what to do on the birthdays of Congress 60 members to make the session better. The guides should not introduce themselves on thursdays. Badges should not be given that day but on another day. Another point is that only the legion members can give gifts, and it is not the guide's duty to give gifts to their pupil. Always remember that a guide does not give gifts to their pupil, nor do the agents and border guards. The same applies to celebration days. Therefore, giving a gift on a traveler’s birthday by guide is prohibited, as the guide would then need to give gifts for their pupils’ birthday, the guide is doing all sorts of services and giving gifts is an overload on the guides. This week’s session topic is Golrizan. You know that, fortunately, Congress 60 has done a great job of making everything transparent and everything is clear in Congress 60. What does that mean? Whenever there is a problem, we have brought it to everyone’s attention for discussion. For instance, if we see some people don’t know or follow proper etiquette, the topic is set to etiquette so that everyone can talk about it and learn. Or, for example, if people are judging each other or gossiping, an agenda is set to discuss whether it is good or bad to gossip, it will be discussed and analyzed. They also discuss DST and bring it up for open participation. The discussion is also open for Dsap agenda so that all Congress 60 members express their experiences and attitudes. We have also discussions on drugs, companions’ issues, and financial matters, allowing everyone to talk and debate these topics. For a system to be sustainable, as I have often said, it must be built on three pillars. Without these three pillars, the system will not remain stable and will encounter numerous crises and problems. First, for any task, whether for an NGO or a family, there must be knowledge. For instance, if I want to establish a green-space NGO but know nothing about green spaces, or if the other board members want to work on drug addiction prevention and treatment but have no experience or background in addiction; [if they are to talk about addiction], they must have knowledge in these fields. We might say, “No, they don’t have knowledge, but they’re good people.” Imagine someone in an accident who is bleeding, and we say the people around are good-hearted—yes, they are good-hearted, but what can they do about the bleeding? We don’t need a kind person [in this situation]; we need someone who, even if they aren’t nice, knows how to stop the bleeding. In this situation, the priority is someone who can stop the bleeding, not whether they are good or bad. Knowledge and expertise are critical; if one lacks the expertise or knowledge, the first pillar is already weakened.
Now, having knowledge in a field means truly understanding it rather than just having an illusion of knowledge. Sometimes people actually know gardening, understand green spaces, know how to reverse desertification, and know forests—but sometimes, they only think and imagine they know. These two things are completely different from each other. For a commodity to be marketable, it must be valuable; if it lacks value, it cannot be traded. If a product is fake, it won’t be viable for trade. Some people might run shops and sell products but commit fraud, passing off fake goods as genuine. Such people will never succeed because the goods must be of good quality and genuine to be viable for trade. Look at all the great merchants; none of them were con artists, none of them ever sold counterfeit goods.
So, for a system [to work properly], their knowledge must be real and practical to be useful for the trade. Once knowledge is there, it requires skilled practitioners. Knowledge alone is not enough; it needs an active agent. For example, we have surgical knowledge written in books, but what good is it without a surgeon? A surgeon is someone who has learned that knowledge and can apply it. Knowledge by itself is not usable; it requires a skilled practitioner for implementation.
We might know all about medical procedures from books, but who will perform them? We need trained specialists, then we have to train specialists. For example, with matters like road construction or bridge-building, who will execute these projects? The engineer who undertakes it must have expertise. Therefore, the next essential factor is skilled professionals. In Congress 60, we need experts; our aim to cure addiction to crystal meth, crack, heroin, alcohol, and various [psychiatric] pills—who will manage it? It requires specialists. Who are the specialists? The guides, the border guards, and the agents.
The next crucial factor is money. It is very important. Our predecessors used to say that spiritual matters are essential, and financial matters are not at all. Spirituality is at the top, but God created the Earth, which is material—soil, stone, copper, Barbari bread [an Iranian yeast leavened bread]—everything is material. So material things are very valuable, and we deeply need them. Who says material things are useless?
From the shoes on our feet to our food, our shelter, the stove we use to warm food, and the water we consume—it’s all about money. So, for an NGO or a system, the next essential factor is Money. Financial strength is crucial both for a person and a group. Financial matters are important for an individual, for a family, for a company, for an office, and for an NGO. The condition is that money must be obtained through the right path, in a lawful way.
In Congress 60, these three pillars are complete: the knowledge in the field is unique, offering the best possible expertise; the specialists are highly qualified. They have to study and pass many filters before they can wear the orange or pistachio-colored shawl. They must go through several stages, even a “Rostam’s seven-labors” process [Rostam is a legendary hero in Persian mythology], to fully arm themselves with this knowledge. Then come the financial matters.
This triangle exists in Congress 60: it has knowledge, skilled professionals, and financial stability. Why is Congress 60 financially strong? Because its offerings are valuable. Its “product” is of high quality. The credibility of knowledge lies in its practical application. Individuals who come to Congress 60 may have setbacks or challenges in their economic pursuits, but when they join, they do the appropriate job [they financially help Congress 60].
Amin was telling a story about going to get a vehicle part for his car. He noticed that at 8 a.m., all the shops were closed except for one. The shopkeeper asked him, “Which branch do you go to?” Amin asked how he knew him, and the shopkeeper replied, “I can tell from your shirt with ‘Congress 60’ logo on it.” The shopkeeper also turned out to be a Congress 60 member. My point is that all the shops were closed, but the Congress 60 member’s shop was open, ready for business from early morning, and this man will be successful. Whether working in a shop or a factory, they succeed because they’ve learned the right way. Over time, by consistently being open at 6 a.m., a shop owner, for instance, Mr. Akbar gains a reputation in the neighborhood. While others are just opening their shops, he’s already made his sales and has benefitted from his sales. This is [an example] for financial matters.
The product must be valuable: it means we train members to stay on the right path, conducting honest trade, dealing fairly, treating customers well, not being con artists, and not selling counterfeit goods. This approach leads to financial well-being. And when they see their financial situation improve, they recognize why and how it improved. Then they may want to say, “Others helped me to improve, so now I’ll help others too.” They realize that when they joined Congress 60, no one asked them for anything in return; guides and border guards all helped them, so they want to help others too.
So, as you see, both specialized knowledge and financial stability are essential, without which, we can’t move forward. Our success is due to managing our financial affairs well, and truly, the members of Congress 60 are all making efforts in this regard. Some people come to me wanting to be Pahlevan [those Congress 60 members who donate 600000000 Tomans or 10000 dollars], but I don’t agree, and sometimes they leave my office in tears. I say to them, you need to establish their financial foundation first, strengthening your own base before taking further steps.
So, I said that in Congress 60, no woman is allowed to sell her car or her gold [to become a Pahlevam]. We don’t need that. Sometimes, I say we’re preparing a feast with a well-fattened calf that gives us both roast and ribs. What would we do with a skinny goat? God willing, that skinny goat [those Congress 60 members who are not wealthy enough] will work and fatten up [get rich], and then we’ll make use of their money—provided it gets stronger. It’s not right for her to sell her gold or her car to become a "Donor" [a donor is a Congress 60 member who bestows 1000 dollars]. Our Sardar Legion [who pay 100 dollars] remains stronger than the Donors or Pahlevans. If you add up the Pahlevans and Donor contributions, Sardar members still surpasses them. Donation is [considered] for everyone. The important thing is to participate in this ceremony. If I can, I will be a Sardar member [and pay 100 dollars], afterwards, if I can, I’ll be a Donor. If I can, I’ll be a Pahlevan. If I can afford money, then I’ll serve as a Neshan-e Bi-Neshani [Sign in a Signless Zone] [those who donate more than 16000 dollars]. Then, I decide where to serve [in Sardar, Donor or Pahlevan position].
Thanks to your support and the availability of funding, we can now have proper buildings. Most of our members are in buildings, not garages or run-down places, and they don’t have to rent a room in a governmental building. Our women are in good spaces where their dignity is fully upheld, and they are respected. In Congress 60, women are given a lot of respect and kindness. These are very valuable aspects, made possible by strengthening our financial foundations, which, with God’s grace, will continue in the future.
Congress 60 members' participation in Golrizan has been incredibly positive, and they've done a great job. I’m truly pleased with this. Everywhere, our members are securing land and buildings, constructing them for future generations, just as others planted and we reaped; now we are planting for others to benefit from in the future. This week is dedicated to this purpose, and since it’s Financial Week, I’m starting it off myself. Today, as the initiative begins, I’m giving my check to Mr. Majid Salami [Congress 60’s financial Dideban] for processing [Mr. Dezhakam’s check for Golrizan is 16000 dollars].
One crucial point we’ve learned is that Congress 60 must stand on its own two feet. May God bless Dr. Haj Rasouli. I’ve shared this example multiple times, but I’ll share it again. About 15-20 years ago, we were at Taleghani Park when the secretary-general of the Anti-Narcotics Headquarters came to visit [Congress 60’s sports activities]. He was a very kind man. The doctor spoke with him; they knew each other because the secretary-general had served under Dr. Haj Rasouli during military service. The secretary-general liked the park a lot and said to Dr. Haj Rasouli, “Have someone write a request. I’ll give you 20 million tomans [about 25000 dollars] to purchase sports equipment.”
Dr. Haj Rasouli came to me and said, “The secretary-general suggested we submit a request to receive 20 million”. Twenty years ago, 20 million tomans would be worth two billion tomans today. I replied, “Okay, I’ll write the letter”. After a while, he asked if I’d written it yet. I said I’d do it shortly. Then he said, “He’s getting into his car; the 20 million is slipping away”. I said, “I will write the request and you go to his office to get it”. He got into his car and left.
He said, “See, you didn’t take it, and the money slipped away”. I replied, “Dr., please don’t bring us these easy handouts. A cow that is fed on begging will never plow the field [when someone readily gets whatever they want, they will not put efforts into working]. We must stand on our own feet. If we took that 20 million Tomans from him, the Congress 60 members would think the anti-narcotics headquarters is supporting us. I won’t take a single cent from anyone so that our members learn to stand independently—that’s how we got here today. If we had taken that 20 million back then, we’d always be holding a begging bowl. As Ali Ashkezari [a Dideban of Congress 60] says, we’d be holding an onion, looking for bread to eat it with [we were begging all time time], we’d have had to do that.
Now, every branch that’s established must stand on its own feet. Even if it fails, it’s not important. I’ve heard in some places, when a new branch wants to open, they go to other branches asking for financial support, which is embarrassing and wrong. No one should go to other branches asking for help. People in such branches won’t succeed; their branch will struggle. In cases where one person donated a building and others didn’t contribute a cent, those branches didn’t succeed and we had many challenges to get those branches running.
Therefore, every branch of Congress 60 must rely on its own members. We can’t have someone donating 10 or 20 billion tomans and then make the place ready for others to come and sit. Such branches won’t be sustainable, in my view. Each member should contribute, even if it’s just 50, 20, or 10 thousand tomans. Each branch must have its own Pahlevans [Pahlevans from other branches cannot provide money for new branches].
Previously, 80% of Pahlevans’ funds was allocated to the central university [in Qeshm], and 20% to the Pahlevan’s own branch. I suggested reversing it to keep 80% in the branch and 20% for the university. The money donated by the Neshan-e Bi-Neshani [Sign-in-the Signless] is allocated to research studies, because we have heavy costs in research. We’re modeling our [DST] approach to focus on [different] diseases. We’re designing a system for [curing incurable diseases]. I solved the problem of addiction 20-25 years ago. When I wrote the book “Crossing theZone of Minus 60 Degrees Centigrade”, that was the conclusion of addiction cure. Everything that needed to be said was mentioned in that book; nothing remains unresolved in that area.
Then, we moved on towards other research studies. Now we’ve established a university building with a 10,000-square-meter foundation: four floors, each with 2,500 square meters. Imagine, 10,000 square meters, each meter costing 50 million tomans—imagine the total. While we initially admitted students in engineering fields, we’re now admitting students in the humanities, medicine, psychology, social work, and relevant fields.
Why did we choose Qeshm? Because it’s a free trade zone, allowing international conferences without needing visas. People from the neighboring Arab states of the Persian Gulf can come for education and conferences. We’ll offer technical, engineering, and medical fields. My work is in research, not clinical medicine. We’re currently testing cure on various diseases. The article on epilepsy is due to be published soon; it’s been accepted and is awaiting publication. And we’re tackling a range of diseases, like breast cancer—how many women around the world undergo mastectomies or have their uterus and ovaries removed? How devastating is it? But it’s not their fault; there’s just no cure. Our research is being done with the funds each of you contributes, which go towards such projects. Publishing an article costs around 11,000 dollars, while other research expenses—including mice, experiments, and tests—can reach 800 million to 1 billion tomans (17000 dollars). The equipment we import often costs more than 40–50 billion dollars, whose results benefit everyone.
50% of the funds coming from Neshan-e Bi-Neshani [Sing-in-the-signless] go to the local branch, and the other 50% goes to Central Academy branch of Congress 60 for research and laboratory purposes. Sometimes a branch has funds and asks for more, like saying, "We want to rent a place for 4 billion tomans, and we have 3 billion tomans saved. Can you provide the other 1 billion?" I say, “I won’t give it to you. You have 3 billion, I’ll give you 2 billion, but we’ll keep the remaining 1 billion to strengthen the financial foundation of Congress 60.” I won’t let you make the reserve empty; there must always be a reserve.
Branches must stand on their own feet. Don’t become like beggars asking for donations from other branches. This weakens and corrupts the branch. If there’s no funding, meet in the park; if there’s no funding, meet in any humble place. Don’t go around seeking support; allow the branch to stand independently. The branches that have become self-reliant are now strong and powerful.
Some of the branches in Azerbaijan have been a bit weak, but fortunately, they are starting to strengthen. Now I’m seeing Pahlevans from the Azarbaijan region coming forward—east and west Azarbaijan and Zanjan—and they’re taking action to achieve great outcomes. As for the Neshan-e Bi-Neshani, for now, 50% of the funds go to the branch if they request it, though they can opt to allocate it entirely for research and the central fund if they prefer. However, this decision is not publicly announced. Neshan-e Bi-Neshani is about anonymity, so individuals don’t declare it. Personally, I’m a recipient of the Neshan-e Bi-Neshani, but I only disclose this just because I am your role-model. When I mention it in here, others usually call just right after, saying they want to do the same too, this usually holds true. This sign is not for public acknowledgment. Its true value lies where it is supposed to remain. This badge is highly valuable.
When I ask you something, do it carefully and completely, do not exaggerate. Regarding events in Golrizan, if you’re organizing a program, keep it light—avoid loud or heavy music, no unapproved songs; if it is light, it will be acceptable. Refreshments are capped at 30,000 tomans per person. Buy quality items—avoid buying low-quality snacks and ready-made juices.
Clinics, however, don’t hold Golrizan events. There were issues, for instance, with clinics in Isfahan that have now stopped such events, and in other cities, we may limit their work. In one case, a clinic had even provided a guide with a salary and insurance, which created conflicts because our work is done for free, and such arrangements aren’t compatible with our mission.
So, Golrizan events won’t be hosted by clinics. Until November 7, the financial contributions for Donors [1000] and Pahlevans [10000 dollars] remain the same. From this evening onward, branches can start discussing Sardar Legion’s issues [Sardar legion is a legion dedicated to financial donations of Congress 60]. Thank you.
Translated by Elahe
