Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Meeting with Young Elites

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

One of the reasons I am fond of these gatherings of youth is this feeling of freedom and for today's youth, the courage to express their opinions. This is a very interesting point; therefore, I thank this dear brother who stood up and expressed this matter.

Of course, managing this session in a way that suits my situation, in the form you suggest, is practically impossible. If I were to decide myself, I would do the same; that is, I would say that individuals should stand up, take their time, and speak; however, this requires a broad time frame and is not compatible with my limited time. I see the opinions of the youth, students, and elites - those who form these sessions and similar individuals - through numerous reports from various places and I am not far from the realities. Of course, hearing from you has a special charm; however, due to my limitations, that is not possible. In any case, we will suffice with what is possible for us.

First of all, I welcome all of you and thank each of the young people who expressed their thoughts here. Everything you said has been recorded; some of these points are noteworthy for the esteemed officials present here - the respected ministers, the esteemed vice president, the president, and other officials I saw taking notes - and they should be considered and followed up; some are feasible; some may have objections; in any case, they should be examined and considered. Some of the statements are correct and are currently being addressed; for example, regarding the Elite Foundation - which some friends spoke about - fortunately, we see that this foundation has gained better momentum recently; moreover, those who have been considered for the responsibility of the Elite Foundation - whether previously or today - are themselves among the elites; now, however, they are elites from before your time. It is not the case that the work of the elites is entrusted to those who do not understand the meaning of elite and have no experience of being elite; that will not happen. God willing, it will improve. I have emphasized this, and I will emphasize it again, and it is an important matter.

Or the point regarding the Petrochemical Research Center that you mentioned, you must certainly follow this up, Mr. Davoodi; because the esteemed Minister of Oil is not here. This is a very important point; this is what I emphasize: "the connection of research and science centers with the centers that utilize science and research"; they should keep an eye on each other and utilize each other. They can guide the research of these centers, and these centers can guide their activities. God willing, you must certainly follow this up.

Some points I gathered from the statements of friends are worth mentioning to you; please pay attention. See, this movement towards immigration abroad, first of all, not all types of it are bad, which I have said many times, it is not fleeing from the front. Fleeing from the front is bad; your country is undergoing a movement, a great challenge, and a significant action to advance and progress; like a battlefield. Fleeing from this front is bad; however, stepping aside to learn more and prepare better is not bad. I do not reject all these departures abroad; I have said this many times in your presence and the presence of other youths. What is wrong with some going abroad? Let them go. Those who forget their country, neglect the interests of their country and their own people - that is, their own family - and only set out to fill their own pockets and go abroad, of course, these are condemned from a rational perspective; not legally condemned, there is no law that condemns this action; however, human conscience and national conscience condemn such an act. These are not necessarily elites; no, there may be a few elites among them, but there are also many non-elites. It should not be assumed that those who stand up and leave are all our elites who are leaving one by one; no, they stand up and leave and face problems - you should also pay attention, we have a lot of information in this regard - those who go often do not encounter a good reception and appreciation. Even if they are truly elites, those centers will squeeze them to the extent of their ability, utilize them, and then throw them away; and they have no obligation towards them. The goal should be that a person becomes beneficial for their country, for their people, for their family, for the land that has nurtured and enriched them, for the current generation and future generations. The goal should be this. This goal can be achieved in any way, there is no objection.

Another point regarding the issue of "cultural independence" that some friends mentioned. This cultural independence has begun in the country. Since the mid-Qajar period, a fascination and foreign influence emerged in us; of course, it had natural factors and these factors intensified day by day; it peaked during the Pahlavi regime and based on them, very dangerous cultural foundations were established in the country: such as the idea that an Iranian "cannot", that an Iranian lacks the ability to participate in the fields of science and culture; and a negative view towards all our cultural past and valuable historical and scientific legacies; these were things that happened in this country. You did not witness that era. We who grew up in that era, I, who may have about half a century of age difference with most of you, experienced and saw what it was like. Truly, the culture that was promoted was the culture of "we cannot"; the absolute preference for everything Western over anything Iranian; it was like this. In terms of Iranian pride, exactly on those things that the West wanted for various reasons - with colonial and power-seeking motives - that Western political designers had designed; some points were highlighted in our country; these points were the only ones that the managing bodies of the country paid attention to. This was the case for many years.

The Revolution shook all the consciences of this people, awakened us, made us aware of our identity, showed us our capabilities, and made "we can" our slogan. We also entered and experienced; we saw that yes, we can. Therefore, today cultural independence in this country is progressing day by day and cultural self-confidence is increasing. Our insistence is that this work should be done and you youths should pay attention to this and view any movement that contradicts this spirit of cultural independence and self-sufficiency with skepticism and know that it is guided.

Another point related to the scientific growth process of the country; that some friends said this process is slow. I want to say no, on the contrary, the growth process in terms of speed is among the fastest scientific growth processes in the world. This has been determined through scientific calculations; that is, in terms of the scientific and technological growth process in the country, we are among the fastest in the world. However, because the gap has been very large, this speed does not currently show its results clearly. If we can maintain this speed and momentum for ten to fifteen years with divine success, then it will fully manifest itself. I have many examples for this. Some examples may not be perceptible to you; because what I may mention as statistics, you may not be aware of, thus it is not perceptible. But now, the things that are perceptible and observable, like the research related to nuclear energy; this has been achieved from the point where we started our movement. The distance is a terrifying distance; but this work has been accomplished. In the discussion of biological issues, the same issue of stem cells and in the discussion of military productions, various researches that have been conducted in this regard, this is the issue I mentioned. Since you are not aware of what has happened, it is not part of public knowledge and information, thus stating it will not be very perceptible to you. I have said this many times, before the Revolution, the fighter jets that were mainly purchased from America, when a part of them broke down and needed repair or the duration of that part expired - perhaps it still had the possibility of working, but they set a time limit that it had to be changed - they did not allow this composite part - the composite part itself consists of twenty, thirty, or fifty parts - to be opened and those small parts to be seen; that is, our technicians and air force officers were not allowed to do this. Once or twice they did this, and the relevant officer was tried by the military court of the regime for what authority did you open this part of the F-14 or F-4 aircraft? They had to deliver that part sealed and closed to the American advisor, who would install it on the aircraft and take it to America, and bring the replacement part; that is, they did not even allow knowledge of what this part was made of and where it was broken.

Now we have reached the point where an Iranian fighter jet flew in the sky! You all saw this on television. Of course, this is actually a few generations later. The first fighter aircraft that was made in Iran flew about eight or nine years ago in a military maneuver - I was there myself as a witness - then this was strengthened and completed; now it has emerged; that is, they can mass-produce it; that is, if it has economic viability for the country, it is capable of being mass-produced. These distances are terrifying distances; that is, the gaps are very deep gaps that have been traversed during this time thanks to perseverance and effort. Therefore, speed is good; however, this speed must be maintained. This is something that you aware, intelligent, and capable youths should know, that this speed must be maintained. The officials are also of course concerned about this matter and it is based on this that these things should be pursued. If there is a disruption in the quality of progress somewhere, these are minor disruptions and will be resolved. We do not deny the existence of flaws; however, we deny that these flaws should discourage us; we will not allow that; that is, I myself and the officials responsible for these sectors, with all our being, fight against despair. Because the most important obstacle to the progress of a person and a nation is despair and seeing the horizon darkly; no, the horizon is bright and we can move forward.

I mentioned a few points before your statements. Of course, regarding the statements you made, there are other points that I have noted some of them. There is no time to express them now. Now let me mention one point. One of these young ladies complained that the position of graduates in the humanities is not a specific or prominent position. It is not like that; let me tell you, if you become proficient in the humanities, for example, history, sociology, and psychology that you mentioned, truly know that your value in society and on the international level is certainly not less than that of an advanced physician; rather, it is even more. Now look, see how many of the famous scientific figures in the world are physicians, how many sociologists or historians there are. You will see that the number and prominence of the latter is greater. However, you must work to advance. Do not be satisfied with the level you have reached now. Do not be satisfied with being called elite and brilliant. By being selected as an elite, whether through acceptance in the entrance exam or winning a medal in a certain Olympiad or festival, you have entered a path. Your current situation is this. You have entered this path. If you stop moving, you have remained at the very beginning of the path, and it is as if you have not entered at all. The importance of your work is that you must traverse this path with as much speed as possible, advance, and not tire until, God willing, you reach the point that is worthy of you.

I want to say one point. First of all, the goal of this session is not to solve these problems. These problems must be solved, undoubtedly. However, our session has a higher goal; I have said this many times. This session is primarily a symbolic session. This session, first of all, demonstrates the respect of the Islamic Republic system for knowledge, secondly, for the knowledge seeker, and thirdly, for the importance of knowledge in the advancement of the country; it symbolizes these. Symbolic actions do not contradict the fact that there is indeed a movement in reality; however, the emphasis is primarily on the symbolic aspect; like Islamic rituals; rituals have this symbolic aspect. Islamic rituals have a symbolic aspect. They are also a movement; however, the most significant impact that is of concern is that symbolic impact. For example: "Indeed, Safa and Marwah are among the symbols of God"; Safa and Marwah in Hajj; most of the acts of Hajj are of this kind. These are symbolic acts. Two points have been designated with a specific distance, and it is said that you must continuously traverse between these two points and be in motion. In a part of these two points, this movement must take on the form of running; this is a symbol. A symbol of a continuous movement for a Muslim. Or Tawaf; circling around a pivot, an endless movement; the movement of Tawaf is endless. Your Tawaf movement ends, the next person begins. You never see the Kaaba empty from this circle of moving people. These are "the symbols of God"; that is, they have a symbolic aspect. This teaches a lesson to human society. This is what symbolic actions are. We want it to be clear in this country that the pursuit of knowledge and knowledge itself and its impact on the future of the country is a prominent and fundamental point for the Islamic Republic system. In fact, this is a fundamental and prominent point in the minds of the Iranian nation and for this nation. We have been struck from this angle; we have been struck by the backwardness in knowledge. One day, a scientific movement emerged in the world - scientific movements always have the nature of interconnected vessels and connect with each other. The nation and society of ours used to benefit from each other's knowledge - one day, the center of the emergence of knowledge in the world was Islam, without the Islamic world, with its scientific tools, going to colonize Europe, Africa, or any other point. This knowledge spread, reached everywhere, and everyone benefited and profited from it. However, in this recent period - that is, after the Renaissance, knowledge fell into the hands of a European and Western group - it was not used for its ordinary and natural purposes. Knowledge in their hands became a tool for domination; domination over countries, and gradually the issue of colonialism arose. For two hundred or three hundred years, the East, that is, most areas of Asia and Europe, was crushed under the boot of colonialism, and the Westerners used knowledge not only for political and colonial domination but also for oppressing nations and extracting their essence and resources and wealth. Just as they used it to impose their culture on scientifically backward nations, and this last aspect - that is, cultural imposition - caused them not to have any share in scientific advancement and to be prevented from it, and not only were they not encouraged, but obstacles were also placed in front of them. This has been the situation that has arisen.

Well, we must compensate for this historical backwardness; that is, we have been struck by ignorance. If today the Islamic world is economically backward, culturally or politically lagging behind, it is because the rival, that is, the Western world, is equipped with the weapon of knowledge. They use the weapon of knowledge to dominate in the fields of politics, economy, and culture.

We must acquire this weapon. We must be able to arm ourselves with knowledge so that the threat of the rival - whether rival or enemy, now they are not all the same - cannot be as effective as it has been until now. We must have this. This is a very high strategic goal for the nation and very important and vital. Knowledge must be acquired. Of course, we know that knowledge alone is not enough. Knowledge must be accompanied by ethics and faith so that we do not fall into the same pit that the West fell into; that is, knowledge became a means of oppression, a means of moral deviation, and a means of spreading misleading and destructive cultures. We must not fall into that. That is a matter in itself, but now the fundamental point is that knowledge is a vital matter for us.

Therefore, in this session, we wanted to honor knowledge, the pursuit of knowledge, and those who have shown prominence in the field of knowledge. This session symbolizes the honoring of these several characteristics.

I study a bit about the fate and history of nations - not only in the past, but also in our own time - I see that two elements are among the most important influencing factors in the national advancements of countries: one is "risk-taking" and the other is "hard work and perseverance". I want to recommend these two characteristics to you today.

Risk-taking; the opposite of it is fear. Fear of what? Fear of failure; not to enter because we might not succeed; not to act because we might not reach; not to take action because it might cause us problems. All of these are the opposite of risk-taking. One of the good characteristics of Westerners - which we see both good and bad characteristics side by side and do not deny - is risk-taking. Westerners possess this positive characteristic, and consequently, Americans - who first adopted the culture of Europeans - are risk-takers. Risk-taking can lead a society to success. You youths must be prepared; the fear that it might not happen is a very bad thing. Sometimes a person's imagination paints a future for them that completely discourages them; this, in my opinion, is one of the faults. Now, if we have entered university, if we have studied, if we have conducted this research, if we have entered the field of research and inquiry, will we be accepted? Will they bind our hands? Will they not? You must enter! As the Arab poet says: "The worst of evils is the fear of evil"; fear of calamity is worse than calamity itself; do not pay attention to this "do not". Enter, and you will see that it is possible. In all material and spiritual fields where a person observes success, this courage and audacity and not being afraid of the possibility of failure is a very important factor that drives us forward.

One is also the issue of "hard work" which is the opposite of laziness. Do not let laziness and comfort-seeking and yielding to a life free of problems tempt you. If this state of laziness exists, none of these important scientific discoveries would have come into being. Look at the biographies of these great discoverers and inventors, how they deprived themselves of sleep, paved the way for themselves through hardships, endured difficulties, and went until they reached that fundamental point. Of course, these successes in many cases - one might say in most cases - ultimately also had benefits for them; material benefits and life and title and money and these things as well. However, their initial goal was not these things; they wanted to go to the depth of an issue and a task and reach that point. I present this as a definite recommendation.

Another point I want to convey to you is that (the same point that was mentioned) knowledge is accompanied by religion and ethics, which will be beneficial for humanity. Know this firmly, no matter how much knowledge advances, if it distances itself from ethics and religion, it will not be beneficial for humanity. Those who say we seek knowledge for the advancement of humanity must pay attention to this point. Now, the obvious examples that you have all heard, I do not want to repeat them, that those who have advanced in chemistry have reached chemical bombs and means of mass destruction; those who have advanced in nuclear sciences have reached atomic bombs and caused the catastrophic slaughter of nations; these are now obvious examples. Look at nations. Consider a scientifically advanced nation that is at the peak of scientific advancement in the world, see if the people of this country have truly reached happiness? Is there justice in that country? Has poverty and discrimination and injustice been eradicated in that country? Do people live as peacefully and free from violence and aggression as they claim? Even though knowledge exists there, these realities also exist! Is there a sense of trust and peace in the lives of families? Are children raised in the arms of their parents with good emotions? Is there no murder, assassination, and crime there? You see that it is exactly the opposite. Today, the highest insecurity is in the country that has the highest scientific rank; that is, America. No country in the world is as insecure as America; neither in Europe nor in Asia. The highest psychological unrest is there. The most murders and violence among citizens against each other are there. The most discrimination and class disparity are there. Wealth as high as the Himalayas and indescribable poverty - that is, dying of hunger in the real sense - are there. These distances are the reality. The most important human aspirations that have not changed since the beginning of history until now, are these. The important aspiration of humanity is "justice" and "security"; "living easily alongside others" - paradise is where there is no oppression - "not being harmed by others"; feeling peace in the psyche; being comfortable in the family; enjoying family life and seeing children; being in the embrace of parents; these are the most fundamental needs of humanity; these are the things that humanity has wanted from the beginning until today; it wanted them yesterday and it wants them today. These things do not exist in the society that is the most scientifically advanced. So see, when knowledge does not advance alongside faith and ethics, the result is this. If a scholar is religious, society benefits from their knowledge. Religion does not hinder the advancement of knowledge; rather, it even helps the advancement of knowledge. However, it prevents the transgression of knowledge and deviation from the limits of humanity that knowledge may fall into.

Therefore, my recommendation to the youths is: as much as you work for knowledge, also work for your heart and spirituality. The field of spirituality is open to you. Knowledge and spirituality do not contradict each other at all. Working in a scientific workshop, educational workshop, research center, a certain class, and a certain university does not contradict the fact that a person performs their prayers on time, with attention and with a sense of presence before God. This cleanses your heart. You are young and your hearts are luminous; even those who have not dealt much with religious matters until now, their hearts are pure and clear due to their youth; that is, your hearts are in much better condition than those of people my age, and your readiness is high. Like transparent mirrors, they quickly receive and reflect the light of divine grace and attention; that is, when you are good in terms of religion, spiritually pure and chaste, attentive, and truly feel your presence before the Lord, when you are like this, your existence - wherever you are; whether at university, at work, at home, or with family and relatives - will have a luminous impact; that is, when you are good and luminous, you also give light to others. Value this and do not lose it. This is not addressed only to the few dozen of you who are here; this is addressed to all youths, especially those who are moving in the field of knowledge. And fortunately, today there are many of them.

One of you friends said that the current generation of our country and nation is not less than the first generation of the Revolution, I agree with this; I have the same belief and have said it many times and I believe it. You youths of today have shown that you have taken a step forward in various fields; that is, our young generation has moved one step ahead; however, the furnace of the imposed war and the sacred defense and that strange atmosphere has natural effects. If that situation were to occur today, it would be clear how much our youths have advanced in spiritual matters. And we are observing this today; both in universities and outside universities. Therefore, knowledge must be combined with religion and ethics. This is addressed to you individuals.

Take advantage of the opportunity of the month of Ramadan; fast well; youths fast, but fast well. Fasting well means that while your mouth is fasting in terms of food and drink, keep your heart fasting in terms of desires, your eyes fasting in terms of what is pursued by the eyes from desires, and keep the rest of your limbs and organs fasting. Feel that in this month - that is, the month of Ramadan - with this state of fasting, you are getting closer to God Almighty and your heart is becoming more luminous.

I have noted other matters as well, but there is no time. Since one of you youths mentioned it and I had noted it, I will just say this sentence: you youths must feel that you are playing a role; do not wait for something specific to happen in other places. Yes, the government agencies have responsibilities, the Elite Foundation has responsibilities and must fulfill them, and God willing, they will do so and gradually it will improve; but the one who is at the center of responsibility, consider that to be "yourself". Feel that you are responsible and feel that you have a role. Whether you will be given a role in the future or not? Set that aside for now and see what role you have today during your student years and during your studies and pursuit of perfection, fulfill that role; and that is to study well, work well, move seriously, not reduce the speed of this movement at all, and alongside the pursuit of knowledge, also engage in the pursuit of religion, piety, and self-purification.

God willing, may God grant you all success and may He open the doors of happiness for you day by day.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.