Statements in Meeting with Members of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Meeting with the dear brothers, members of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, has always been a delightful and desirable event for me. Now, especially considering the long gap since our regular weekly meetings with most of the brothers, it is naturally even more pleasant and desirable.

Among the councils and specialized committees—which are numerous in our country—this Supreme Council has characteristics that many others do not. Firstly, all members are selected and chosen. Secondly, all individuals participating in this council are experts and culturally knowledgeable in the field that this council is responsible for, and they are familiar with knowledge, culture, and universities. Thirdly, it is among the councils that, amidst past efforts and endeavors, has matured over several years and is well-established and familiar with its surrounding issues. Accordingly, expectations from this council are high. It is not that I have a specific expectation; rather, the Islamic Republic system has many expectations from a group of selected experts gathered under the name of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, especially considering that many of the problems we perceive in various social, economic, and even political arenas, upon investigation, trace back to cultural issues.

Although the Islamic Republic was founded on a cultural basis from the beginning, and the leader and creator of this system was a cultural figure above all else, and the officials of this system have almost always been the same throughout this period, we must admit that we have not done the desired and expected work in cultural fields. It is not that any specific person or group is to be questioned. No, overall, we have been negligent in cultural fields; we must truly accept this. Therefore, naturally, everyone has high expectations from such a group, and perhaps more than anything, cultural efforts are expected, and as its name suggests, a cultural revolution is expected.

Has the culture of society undergone the necessary transformation based on revolutionary thought and spirit? If we say yes, it is unlikely that someone with deep insight into the issue would accept this from us. Of course, many changes have occurred, but it cannot be claimed that a complete cultural transformation has taken place. Perhaps it is not expected that a complete cultural transformation would occur in ten, twelve years, and it may be necessary for this transformation to take place over thirty, forty, or fifty years—there is no issue with that—but the movement must be in that direction.

Undoubtedly, when we look at today, we should be like a corridor that, when looking at its fifth hour of movement, should have progressed more than the first hour; the tenth hour should have progressed more than the fifth hour. If you see that it has not progressed more, then there is a flaw in the work. We must have gotten closer to that revolutionary culture in all aspects—both specifically in universities and generally in the whole society. If we see that this event has not occurred, we must conclude that cultural work and efforts in our revolutionary society have not been carried out well, completely, and healthily, and there are deficiencies that must be addressed. Like all other people who, when there is a flaw in their work, engage in self-reflection and review, seek new paths, understand the defects, and remedy them, we must see what the problem is. We must identify the defects and remedy them. We must find a new path, and if there is a shortcut, we should take it. If the speed is low, we must increase it.

Another point is that in the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, as Mr. Hashemi mentioned, and during the time I was in the council, most of our efforts in this council were devoted to university issues, and it is still the same. Of course, it seems that now it might be somewhat better than before. These few cases he mentioned, or the recent work that has been approved and announced—such as the establishment of academies—were really very good works and perhaps somewhat better than before. At that time, we, the council members, always referred to ourselves, admitted this deficiency, and said that we are neglecting the broad work needed here and are limited to university issues; whereas university issues, and even educational issues—whether universities or education and training—are the work of the country's Supreme Educational Council; just as education and training itself has a council. This is not something that personalities like those present, especially with the presence of the esteemed heads of the three branches and all the various responsibilities that officials and ministers have in the country, should only focus on. It is better that when we look at the details of educational issues, we remove it from this council.

Of course, educational issues should be at the level of general policy-making and have a broad view of society, and both the general culture of society and issues that have been neglected—such as the recent work done by the Supreme Council; the establishment of the Academy of Sciences and the Academy of the Persian Language and the issue of research—should be considered.

We truly have an open field for work in the area of public culture. If we want to initiate economic development in the true sense of the word in society, we need cultural efforts. As long as even our scientific researcher and explorer do not have the culture of work, work conscience, and love for work as it is presented in a healthy culture—whose highest manifestation is the Islamic culture—the existence of this researcher will be useless. Suppose we train great researchers and, for example, provide them with important laboratories; this will turn into a personal work.

These great researchers we see in the world, whether those who emerged from among us centuries ago—like Avicenna, Khwarizmi, Khayyam, and others—or those who emerged from among Europeans in recent centuries—such as these great scientists in chemistry, physics, astronomy, and others—when we look at their lives, we see that they truly forgot themselves in life and placed personal life, comfort, money, and benefit for themselves in the second degree; at least they did not make it the axis, if we do not say they forgot it. Some of them truly forgot those aspects and lived in poverty and destitution for the sake of research, science, work, and progress. Others at least gave importance to research, science, work, and progress and did not make personal life the axis; rather, they placed it on the sidelines.

How can we revive this spirit among the country's researchers or in the administrative work environment? Administrative work has a direct connection with economic development. If you give economic plans to a bureaucracy that is wrong, distorted, devoid of work conscience, and devoid of knowledge and awareness of work quality, it will waste it and will not bring this plan to fruition. How can we inject awareness and work conscience into our administrative system—which forms our massive bureaucratic structure? Or how can we, in the field of production and construction and creating hardworking workshop environments in factories, implement Islam's recommendation that says: 'May God have mercy on the one who does something and perfects it,' and inject perfection, work health, and thoroughness into the worker, so that when our car comes out of the factory, it does not rattle after a month, or a certain screw does not come loose; whereas the production of a certain point elsewhere in the world is not like this? Or what can we do to prevent this individual from avoiding work; while others are eager to work and strive more to work? How can we consider the spirit of work, seriousness in work, work conscience, work pursuit, and work health in our economic development plans; without raising the general culture of society and injecting the culture of work and work conscience and related knowledge into them? So, you see that it returns to culture.

If we do not work on public culture, we will also lag in economic development. This is even if we take economic development as the axis. Of course, in an Islamic society, this is not the axis; economic development is a means. In any case, from whichever direction we move, we see that it leads to culture, and the paths truly end in culture. We must work for culture.

It seems that the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution has a deficiency, and that is that the main work of most of its members is not this. Of course, thanks be to God, all of you gentlemen, perhaps without any exception, are experts, culturally knowledgeable, and hardworking, and among you, there are also a group—although very few—whose main work, or one of their main works, is this work. For some—like the country's executive officials, or ministers, or some other gentlemen—this work is really on the sidelines and is not their main work; but there are also some gentlemen for whom this is one of their main works. Now, the one whose only main work is this, I do not see such a person among the gentlemen present, perhaps it is not in my memory. So, from this perspective, there is a deficiency. You are needed for this work. It is said:

Do not entrust work to anyone but the wise

Even though work is not the task of the wise

The wise must set the work in motion. You need many arms. I remember that at that time, there were two commissions; Commission No. 1 and Commission No. 2, and then there was also a joint commission. Of course, when we go to those commissions, we see a collection of ministers and deputy ministers. Perhaps it is necessary for this council to use cultural and revolutionary personalities on its sidelines and have both together.

This is a place where there can be no joking. Here, if its revolutionary margin is slightly worn and scratched, this angle will open in practice and create big problems. It must definitely be a cultural element and definitely revolutionary. This is one of those places where nothing else can be satisfied. Invite such individuals to reach the fundamental and important work you have on the sidelines of this council.

This good news of public culture that Mr. Hashemi mentioned is truly good news for me. Of course, Mr. Khatami has initiated the Public Culture Council for a long time, and its meetings were held, and some work was done. It seems that a transformation has occurred in it. From this statement, I understood that a transformation is taking place in it, or for example, its statute is being better organized. I think that, God willing, things are moving towards improvement; especially since the presence of Mr. Hashemi is also valuable for this council.

Of course, he is modest; but it is truly so. Even at that time, I always told the friends that if Mr. Hashemi participates in our meeting once, we make a world of progress in that meeting. It was really like that at that time. He was very little attentive to this council at that time; but now, sometimes when I see that, thanks be to God, he is forced to participate every week, I am very happy that finally, there is no other choice! At that time, it was not like this. Sometimes, for example, six months would pass without him even remembering the council! Today it is not like this, and his presence is truly a blessing. Whenever I remember this point, I am very happy. The gentlemen who were present at that time must remember that I repeatedly said when he participates, the meeting gains momentum and takes a step forward. He was really very effective in the meeting, and now, thanks be to God, he participates regularly.

We hope that God will help the rest of the gentlemen—whose presence in these meetings is truly very valuable—so that you can, God willing, carry this very heavy burden with ease and lightness and move it forward. We previously thought that the Cultural Revolution Council would probably continue for a few years and then perhaps its existence would no longer be necessary; but as time passes, we see that this council's existence becomes more necessary and essential; because cultural issues gain more importance for us. There are many other issues in the cultural field that I will not take the gentlemen's time with. God willing, you will be successful.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings