In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
First of all, I’m very glad you have come. It is truly enjoyable, pleasing, and encouraging for a person to meet such outstanding, young, educated elite who are ready to work. I have great faith in the youth. Based on the conversations I have had with officials over the years, I understand that many cannot fully grasp the value of the youth’s motivation. They do not have much hope in the youth. [However], I am very hopeful about the youth.
Firstly, you are an asset for a country. The youth, the young elite in particular, are truly an asset for the country. And while it's true that medals are important, they do have value, and each one is a source of pride, nonetheless the value of an elite individual is very different from the value of a medal. The value of an elite individual is far greater than these things.
You have the ability to transform an unfavorable environment into an environment that is 100% favorable. You can change the course of history. You can change history. Unfortunately, you haven’t studied history very much. Young people don’t usually study history very much.
If you read about history, you will see that history has ups and downs. It’s as if our country, which has been the center of various historical developments, has at times been completely erased from the map. This is the state the country was in. Then, you see that suddenly — after a period, now it differs — the same entity that had become practically non-existent becomes so glorious and great that when you look, you see that the human factor had played a pivotal role there.
When we speak of the “human factor,” our minds should not immediately gravitate toward politics, politicians, rulers, and governing bodies. No, they too have had an impact in some cases and this impact hasn’t been bad. [However,] scientific, intellectual, moral, and spiritual human factors are [among] the factors that [the country] has risen due to them.
From the time when colonialism entered our country — of course, we were never officially colonized but the effects were nonetheless akin to colonization, marked by the dominance of foreign governments and cultures over the country — our country embarked on a path of decline and downfall. For instance, when the first English agent arrived from India around the 1800s, entering the country from either Bandar Abbas or Bushehr, I can't recall precisely, he commenced his corruptive practices. From the very beginning of his arrival, he gave a bribe to the governor of the first city he arrived in and won him over. Then with that governor’s help, he proceeded to the next city where he repeated the process of bribery until he reached Tehran where he bribed the Shah and the princes and princesses!
[It was] during the reign of Fath-Ali Shah. Gradually, they [foreign powers] gained dominance. They took away our culture, deprived us of scientific progress, and kept our political understanding and motivation at a very low, rudimentary level. [This continued] until the Revolution took place.
The [Islamic] Revolution moved in exactly the opposite direction. The Revolution created a leap forward in the country. The leaps due to the Revolution are clear and obvious. You can see a leap in the field of politics; you can see it in the field of science; you can see it in the field of technology; you can also see it in the field of social ethics. The Revolution brought a leap forward in all these areas.
Who created the Revolution? The people did, mainly young people. This is the role of the people. And the more these young people think, are decisive, and are determined, the deeper and greater will be this impact. In the Kumayl Supplication, you read, “Strengthen my limbs for Your service.” This is the first one. Well, a young person has stronger limbs. “And strengthen my resolve in my heart.” Strengthen my heart with the ability to make strong decisions. Young people have a greater capacity in decision-making. And it continues on until the end. I don't want to translate the Kumayl Supplication for you now. [So,] this is how young people are.
You can change the country and steer it in a positive direction. You may have some concerns, and you can truly work toward solving those problems. Don't wait for someone like me to tell you what to do to solve those concerns. No, think for yourselves. Think, find a way, get together, collaborate, brainstorm, and find solutions for overcoming obstacles. Find intellectual solutions. Find solutions that are right for you. I believe there are many things you can do.
I have written down two things that I would like to share with you. One is that being an elite is a journey. It is a path, not a fixed point. This is a point that one of our friends here also mentioned, and I liked that very much. We can’t just say that now that I’ve become an elite, that's it and this is finished. It's just the beginning, the beginning of a journey.
You won a medal, or let's say you achieved a high rank in the university entrance exam. This is the beginning of a journey and you must continue moving forward. What does “progress in this journey” entail? It entails creativity — intellectual creativity in your intellectual pursuits and practical creativity in your practical endeavors. You must work hard and strive in the fields of science, technology, and the promotion of ethics and spirituality.
A major part of the responsibility rests on your shoulders, and another significant portion lies with the officials. This means that the relevant ministries, Iran’s National Elites Foundation, the offices of the representatives, and the university officials themselves — various university officials, such as university presidents — all play crucial roles. Institutions must be established, and a movement must be created. Keep in mind that being an elite is not the end of what needs to be done. Now that you have become an elite, this is the beginning of a movement and a journey.
Another matter, which I believe is important, is that our country has embarked on a scientific movement, a leap in science that started around the year 2001. Of course, scientific work was also carried out in the 1980s and 1990s. But starting in the year 2001 or a bit later, I’m not sure exactly right now, a general movement took place among professors and students. A remarkable scientific movement took place. It was to such an extent that global statistics indicated that we were progressing at a rate several times faster than the global average in terms of scientific advancement.
Of course, I mentioned this several times back then as well, [that] the speed of [scientific] advancement is a very good thing. It’s important, but it's not the main thing. This is because we need to get ahead. Since we are behind, even if we move at a fast pace now, we will only reach to a middle point on our path to progress. We won’t get ahead. We need to reach the front line, the forefront [of progress]. This [scientific advancement] started in the year 2001. [But] we experienced a bit of a decline in the latter years between 2010 and 2020.
I have been presented with some statistics, which I have made notes on. I believe this is important. I mean it’s something minor, but it indicates a more significant issue. They say that we won a total of 26 gold medals in world competitions and international Olympiads between 2018 and 2021, while we have already won 30 gold medals in [just] 2022 and 2023. In other words, we have won more medals in these two years than we did in those four years.
Therefore, a certain movement has taken place in the past two or three years. However, this is not enough. What we need is a leap in science. You have the potential to truly work and make a difference in this field. You can increase your scientific efforts and help to prepare the environment as well. This is another issue.
Politics also plays a role in these areas. As I mentioned, when the policy of the English prevailed and became dominant in the country — which lasted for about 200 years, the dominance of English policy in Iran lasted nearly 200 years, and it was continued later by the US of course — this was very detrimental to the country.
Fortunately, we now have political independence. In other words, Iran, or the Islamic Republic, has a well-defined logic, opinion, and position about general global issues. We have something to say about the issue of Palestine; we have something to say about issues related to the US; we have something to say about global matters and the issue of the new world order. We have something to say in the world. That is, we are saying things that are being heard. The world hears what we say and counts on it. Many may not agree, but people count on what we say. This is independence. We must not lose this. Now, one of the most important issues for any administration that comes to office should be to maintain this political independence that has fortunately been created.
Now someone here mentioned the [upcoming presidential] elections. Well, the elections are very important, and participation is of paramount importance. Therefore, you should make every effort to increase voter turnout, whether this is in university settings, workplaces, family environments, and other similar places. Then look and see who is more in line with the principles of the Revolution and has the ability to work toward those principles. If you keep these factors in mind, you may be able to make a good decision. I hope that, God willing, Almighty God will bring about what is in the best interests of this country and this nation with ease and without disturbances.
I will conclude my remarks here. I would like to once again welcome each and every one of you. And send my regards to your friends who were unable to join us today and whom I didn’t have the opportunity to meet.
May God’s greetings and mercy be upon you.
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