The fourth session of the ninth round of physician legion in Taleqani Park was held by Mr. Dezhakam as the master of ceremony, Ms. Hengama as the secretary, and Ms Elham as the guest speaker with the agenda of “so what?” on May 20, 2016 at 8 o’clock.
Ms. Elham:
Every agenda in congress 60 is based on the members’ needs. The weekly agenda poses a short question while it includes a wide range of information which can be applied in our daily affairs. The base of this question is rooted in human’s mind and no animals ask “so what?”. Human beings pose the question even in their unimportant affairs like: why do I brush my teeth? Why do I work? Why should I contact with other people? It is also posed in more important issues like the reason for living that is true about many people.
Whenever a person is going to do something, s/he draws a picture in her/his mind. This picture is not made by the person but by two powers called figuratively right and left angels. When human was born as a complicated structure (creation), s/he was donated gifts and blessings by which s/he could continue living and obtaining energy. When an individual suffers from depression and shortage of energy, the question “so what?” is posed in his mind and makes him inactive. It means that he doesn’t enjoy the blessings s/he has and supposes them to be valueless.
The master says: negative forces (darkness forces) at first have a destructive role, then a disincentive role, and as the knowledge increases, they play a complementary role. When vices and virtues become the same, there will be a sense of stolidity which makes him not enjoy the energies and blessings around her/him. When the negative forces get more powerful, the feeling of stolidity changes into hatred and grudge against his relations.
It is said that this question is made when a person feels unsafe. In the second valley in the book “Love”, it is said that “no creature comes into existence without a purpose; none of us are insignificant even if we think of ourselves as that.” The valley revives purposefulness in human beings. If one doesn’t set a target for oneself; after passing of the time, this question (so what?) spread more across his mind and this may lead to nihilism. Humans experience the lower, middle and higher self. When individuals experience lower self this question makes them disappointed and sad, in other words it keeps them away from doing any activities. But when one experiences the middle and higher self, the question makes him/her motivated and more hopeful and represents a purposeful path for life.
In fact the positive and negative effect of this question depends on the amount of effective knowledge. When addicts enter congress 60, they are taught that they cannot receive any energy from their surroundings because of their closed senses (when your sensations lose the ability to sense the environment). Starting their travel (treatment period) their feelings change little by little and they can receive energy and contact with their relations. This question can also motivate the people who suffer from different illnesses like diabetes, depression, blood pressure, epilepsy, and so on so that it can help the process of their recovery so much, provided they increase their effective knowledge.
Dr. Masoud:
The question “so what?” is like a double-edged sword. In one hand, it can be posed as a nihilistic thinking which makes individuals stop and this will finally leads them to devious path of life. We can obviously observe the effects of this kind of thinking in our country. There is no motivation and enthusiasm for the youth, although they have high qualities and potential. On the other hand, the question can be posed in its positive aspect. The difference between the negative and positive aspect is revealed in the answer one gives to the question. Once we may wonder, “why do we study?” if we have a negative attitude, the answer will be: I cannot find a job and it is just waste of time. But if we consider the positive aspect we will answer: I can achieve higher degrees of education, help the poor and have the social respect.
When I arrived in congress 60, I hadn’t known I was sick. I thought I was a strong and healthy person and needed no instructions and treatment. But by passing the time I found I had a lot of problems to solve. Fortunately the question was formed in my mind positively. I wondered: “Why am I an angry and aggressive person? Why should I be such a person? Why shouldn’t I behave respectfully toward my relatives? If I continue this process no one would come to me and definitely I lose my respect and character. At last, in this way loneliness would be my share of life.
Such questions helped me a lot to take step in the path of recovery and transform from an aggressive man, whom people respect reluctantly, into a man on whom people could count and respect enthusiastically. Unfortunately I came to congress 60 not to cure my drug addiction but to complete a research project. Thank God I could change myself to some extent in congress 60, although I still have so many drawbacks.
Mr. Ardeshir, psychologist:
Addicts usually ask “so what?”. It is one of the most significant questions in psychology that is asked of depressed people. The question is asked of cases with no abilities to do something and consequently not being able to achieve her/his goals. This question exists in all people’s mind with different qualities and quantities. We may ask ourselves every morning: “Why should I go to congress 60?”. Great work done by congress 60 is that it helps drug addicts to answer the question (So what?) properly and correctly by giving information and instructions to drug addicts. Afterwards the addicts will feel motivated and lively so that they can take steps more steadily through the path of recovery which is revealed with progress.
Dr. Azam:
It is said in congress 60 that “sense is the start of reasoning” and it is also responsible for receiving information from the environment and giving it to the intellect. It is said in a simple way that if the sense is negative, all the information will actually be false. So the sense has a basic role in answering the question “so what?”.
As Mr. Dezhakam said in the CD, it is not necessary to answer such questions for this is a kind of complaining and its purpose is to destroy human mind. Having a healthy sense is necessary to answer the questions correctly. In order to have a healthy sense one should transform one’s knowledge to the effective one. When one has a positive mood and sense by doing goods, he doesn’t fail to answer such questions.
Dr. Samad:
When man comes into existence, he is attracted by some enjoyments like: eating, doing exercise, etc. to keep himself safe and survived; and they help him a lot. When a person is addicted, his/her sense is confused and will not be attracted towards these enjoyments like a normal person. Since s/he has no answer to questions like “so what?”, he asks himself, “Why should I be cured?”, “It makes no difference because I will finally be buried.” Therefore he keeps himself distance from sense of duty. If we want to seek an answer to such questions we need to enhance our knowledge. “So what” can be a stimulus to lead human to progress and change. It can also keep him from movement. The impact of this question merely depends on the amount of individuals’ knowledge.
Dr. Nargis:
The question, at first associates a negative load in my mind. It is formed unconsciously in substance abusers or people who have experienced a failure in their lives. Those who refer to clinics for treatment know that since they are unable to answer this question, they have increasingly become dependent on many different things In my opinion, they should change their viewpoint toward the question positively to be liberated from the crisis in which they are involved. Thus by realizing the answer to the question one can solve all her/his problems and will start movement towards liberation and success.
Dr. Fereshta:
Sometimes we hear beautiful quotes that may have been the turning point in our life and have awakened us and made us move. Such quotes, including the question “so what”, are usually short, summarized and much effective that make us think deeply and can simply change a life. If we ask ourselves the question from its positive aspect at the beginning of the day, life will go ahead through its right direction. It is always said, “Don’t say anything when you are angry, take a deep breath and then decide what to do and what to say.” This prevents people from committing many crimes. During the seconds we are silent, the question “so what?” is created in our mind and the right answer can keeps us from the greatest mistake in life.
Dr. Reza:
As it is indicated in the book “crossing the zone of 60 degrees below zero”, the car crossing the mountain is the symbol of an addict whose addiction has made him/her faint and indolent. Now the question is posed in her/his mind and s/he has no answer for it, therefore it has kept him from moving. The question can occur to everybody. I remember the time I was a pupil of university, there were negative forces which posed the question in mind; “I study, so what?” If I answered the question correctly and positively, it could make me move steadily and decisively. The question can also be as a virus to the society and prevent it from progress and competition.
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Dr. Mohammad Ali:
The question has been propounded both positively and negatively in every stage in my life. A philosopher said: Hell has 7 gates, including hearing, sight, touch, smell, and taste while paradise has 8 gates, including all these gates plus intellect. In this weekly agenda, we want to attach intellect to shocks and instincts inside human. We must always consider intellect and contemplate in all our daily behavior. To me the question “so what” will be advantageous for us just if intellect achieves its place in all our deed.
Dr. Nader:
This question can be like a rope of a well. It can either save people from the well or lead them to the very depth of the well. But even this negative load can be as a spark or a flip in human mind. The question can be posed in different stages of life, for example, in childhood one asks “so what” when s/he plays in a hot day; or in adulthood, one asks the question when s/he wants to participate in university entrance exam. Therefore its positive and negative impact depends on the viewpoint and knowledge. The question can make human progress or stop him from moving.
Dr. Reza:
First of all I am indebted to Mr. Dezhakam because today I am celebrating the second anniversary of librating from addiction to nicotine. Regarding the agenda, this question is a kind of thinking in Socratic Method by which Socrates analyzed questions and situations in his mind. In fact our beliefs are created by this question (so what?) and finally our feelings, excitements, behavior and our path of movement are realized by our beliefs and questions. Our most significant duty is to lead such question in the right direction to show the right path for our patients.
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Dr. Mohammad:
Those who refer to our clinic, don’t use the question to quit substance abuse. I ask them at first, “why do you want to quit drugs?”, “Why have you been abusing drugs?” They deeply think and I give them a chance for one session to think about these two questions and make their absolute decision. Coming back to the clinic, no thoughts occur to their mind except quitting drugs. The question “so what?” is propounded in all human beings regarding all their deeds and they should seek the right and proper answers.
Mr. Dezhakam:
I have no special talks. I just advise you to wear sports clothes so that you can choose a sport. Another important point is to cooperate in the discussion in all sessions; this can decrease your social anxiety. It is not necessary for you to discuss the subject philosophically and complicatedly, but you need to talk simply and comfortably. When you talk, others will know you better and will be closer to you. The next point of importance is about the masters of the ceremony in legion. When you are chosen as the master, you have a chance to assay yourself and also decrease your stress gradually.
Prepared by: Amin Moqari
Translated by: Marjan
June 3, 2016