Parviz Karami

The world has changed. The relations have changed and so did our definitions of the things around us. Look at the things around yourself well. Is there anything, remained untouched and stable, just as it was in 30 or 40 years ago? If forty years ago, a fortuneteller passed us to tell about the upcoming of such tools and instruments as smart phone, satellite, cyberspace, and so on, which would be a hand to the people and come to help them, and every human alone can do whatever he wants in the world of media, say every statement, circulate every picture, surely we would not believe him and would consider his words as exaggeration.  

But, in practice, it has been proved that the fortuneteller had been right. Today’s world has no similarity to the one in the past; it is quickly changing and the new events, one after another, happen; we are in the interior of these changes; we are a part of the changes, so it is natural that we are unaware of the imminent events. If someone had gone into a coma 40 years ago and opens his eyes, today, he would understand, better than anybody else that the Decius Age has passed long time ago and a new season has arrived. The changes are not excluded to the cyber, information, and media space, although they show themselves in these fields more. Anyway, this is our religion’s recommendation and the wise, during the history, has recommended us to be the son of our age, recognize our world, grasp its necessities, and in some cases, make ourselves in step with the world. Why? Because we are committed and obliged to develop the world, prevent the tyranny, defend the oppressed, promote truth, honesty, and kindness, raise the monotheism flag, and promote Islam.  

The world has changed. We have changed as well (at least we have changed appearance and have yield to this new world’s relations), but still our mental concepts have not changed and it seems that we are unaware of the basic changes. Today’s children are different from the children we were. If we found a worn bicycle tier, we would amuse ourselves with that tire for hours or even days. Without being a burden on family or neighbors, we would amuse ourselves and pass the time. Even many of the teenagers, apart from their families’ financial conditions, were used to go to work in summers or learn a job from a master craftsman and earn money for their education expenses.

When we were children, we looked at radiator as an advanced technology and radio was the pick of technology for us. A facts magazine made us familiar with the science world and amazed us. The clever children and those who loved science, in the past, in private, put some kits together and made an electronic device out of them. Some, also, built airplane and train out of the ice cream stick and plywood. Such acts are, now, completely obsolete and the children, today, have a new mood. In this same manner, the youth have changed as well and the mental concept once we had about the youth no longer holds true. But, in practice, we did some acts which were matchless and unsurpassed. Many of my contemporaries have lied down in the cemeteries. They had great ideals in mind and bent over backwards, at the time of protecting their religion and country. The youth, in the past, also had made some mistakes. Is there anyone who has made no mistake in his life? But the important point is that they made great decisions and done great deeds. The revolution and war are enough reasons for today’s youth to be in debt to the ones in the past and consider their rank as great.  

Hemmat, Bakeri, Kharrazi, Sayyad, Fakouri, Sattari, and Namjou are the top-ranking of those youths, who earlier than others moved away from youthfulness and acted like the wise old men. The modern world has been called a confounded world, in which there is no old wise man, even if he was, there would be no disciple for him to listen his words. But the emergence of such a shining sun as Imam Khomeyni caused the youth to survive the confounding disaster and gather around this old wise man. Our relationship with Imam Khomeyni was not like the relationship of people with a political leader, yet we considered him the worthy son of the Prophet. It was Imam Khomeyni who, despite their young age, turned them to wise experienced men. The revolution’s youths turned to «young olds » and thus they did a great deed…. Now, apparently, our beard has turned white and we are in the threshold of retirement, unwittingly, we look down to the youth. We consider them as inexperienced and immature and treat them in the way that the previous generation had treated us. But we proved ourselves; the new generation can prove itself as well (and surely it will do it). But we have to know that they are not our copy version necessarily. They do not think the way we do and necessarily they will not follow in our footsteps either.

Moses is the leader, let’s attack Hamoun. Today’s youths depend on the prayers and advices of the wise leader of the Islamic Revolution, so the condition is prepared for their development,  though we have put so many obstacles and impediments in front of them, in the bureaucratic world. We have to provide the appropriate space for them to set to work sooner. We have to prepare the ground for them to show their wonderful skills and themselves either. But before all these, we have to know the youth and, unfortunately, as is obvious from the circumstantial evidence, except the old wise men, the others have the same unrefined view of the youth which the people in the past used to have. Today, youthfulness is not synonymous with ignorance. On the contrary, it is the youth who can save us from the oil-dependent economy and promote the knowledge-based economy and, wholeheartedly, try to develop the country.

The Advisor to the Vice-President for Science and Technology