1. Advocating transformation does not necessarily mean protesting
Advocating transformation does not necessarily mean lodging protests, rather it means being oriented towards improvement. This is what advocating transformation means. It means not being satisfied with what we already have. This could be the main ground for transformation. Of course, in certain cases, the ground could be dissatisfaction with the present conditions, but this is not always the case. In most cases, transformation means not being satisfied with what we have and pursuing a higher stage and a higher phase. What conclusion do I want to draw from this? The conclusion is that even when we carry out positive transformation – for example, in the area of science – no one should say that what we have already achieved is enough. We should not be satisfied. We should not be satisfied with our assets and instead, we should be after more transformation and we should consider it necessary, even when it comes to the areas that we have already transformed.
2. The danger that turns revolutionaries into fossils!
Proper transformation requires careful thinking. Every move behind which there is no thinking could not be called a transformational move. Some shallow and narrow-minded moves could not be referred to as transformation. Transformation requires an intellectual source of support. If such careful thinking does not exist, our transformation will be carried out wrongly and we will take the wrong step. Moreover, we will not be able to persist. In the course of our Revolution, we had certain people who were revolutionary and sympathetic individuals at first, but because they did not have firm ideological bases and because their faith was not founded on solid ideological and intellectual pillars, they turned into fossils with the passage of time and once they began to pass into an advanced age. That is while the Revolution was essentially against fossilization. In fact, the Islamic Revolution put aside some fossilized and deviant elements. As a matter of fact, when some former revolutionary youth began to step into a rather advanced age, they got close – some got close and some turned into – to being some sort of a fossil.
3. Transformation must not be confused with intellectual transformation
Transformation should not be confused with intellectual hollowing. A little before and especially during the Pahlavi era, something called “modernity” entered the country. They considered this modernity as a transformation in the life of the Iranian nation, but it was not really a transformation, rather it was the intellectual hollowing of the Iranian nation. Modernity took the Iranian nation’s identity away from it. Transformation should have a forward direction, but modernity had a backward direction. If nations lose their identity and their spiritual assets, this is in fact considered as a civilizational death. This is a civilizational death.
4. Transformation is not an instantaneous event
Transformation is not a movement that is necessarily launched at once. Sometimes, transformation occurs gradually. Therefore, one should not be impatient. If we aim at the right target and if the movement is launched in the true sense of the word, then it will be alright even if we achieve transformation later. The main point is to take the path and to make the move. Therefore, we should not show impatience. If we think that it should happen all at once, this is not correct.
5. Don't confuse transformation with superficial work
Another point is that transformation should not be confused with haphazard and superficial courses of action. If a task is carried out in a haphazard and hasty manner, this is not transformation. Sometimes, we do things in order to satiate our desire to do something. Such courses of action are of no value. Transformation is about doing deep and careful work. Of course, speed is important, but speed is different from hastiness.
6. An important condition for bringing about transformation
An important requirement for carrying out transformation is fearlessness in the face of the enemy and of enmities. Every positive and important course of action might have some opponents. And opponents oppose. Today, with the advent of cyberspace, oppositions have taken a harsh, biting and annoying form. If there is an important, proper and solid plan, we should not heed these confrontations. We should not have considerations for foreign enemies either. Every project that is carried out in the right direction in the country will face a vast front of enemy that constantly engages in plotting and doing harm. In my opinion, the way to do so is to involve young forces. It is young forces that do not have considerations for this and that, that do not fear and that move in a bold manner. Of course, the presence of young forces should take place. [Jun 3, 2020]