Pars Today

The topic of this episode will focus on the period of youth.

The period of youth is the best chapter of life. The move toward great successes and reaching the zenith of exuberance and advancement begins at youth. In order to attain his/her goals, a youth should act quickly and bravely. A youth enters perilous domains and tries his/her abilities and skills. Ayatollah Khamenei recommends the youths to create three characteristics in themselves; namely, sense of responsibility, faith, and insight. In view of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution an energetic, hopeful and innovative youth goes from one place to another and puts himself at hazards once he feels responsible toward life. The Leader also believes that faith in God plays a very important role in the progress of the youths in every domain. Ayatollah Khamenei stresses that the three traits of sense of responsibility, faith and insight are hard to create in one’s character but they are quite feasible.

Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei considers the period of youth as unrepeated and very important.

He says, “You have a valuable supply of life at hand and ahead of you. A youth is in the beginning of life. Suppose that a farmer has just harvested his product and his store is full of crops. How will he act with this abundant and healthy product? He may act in two ways: One is the wise, sane and foresighted farmer who tries to keep this product safe, not to come short, not let it be corrupted, keep it for his daily need, consume it as he needs and choose what is useful as seeds to use in the coming years. However, another person may not appreciate the value of this full store and think that it will be full forever; so that he will not do anything either for its preservation and planned consumption or think and make any effort for the day of need. This is insane. Of course, those who have run out of the supply of their store; i.e. the old men and women, do not feel that this store is going to end. Dear ones, this is the great misery of mankind! They don’t think wisely, either. If they had thought wisely the conducts would have reformed, mistakes would have compensated and the right path would have been chosen. But alas! Sometimes they don’t think properly either. We have found out during the instruction of history and in the experience of our time that the youths are abler, want more and act more. This is the condition during the rule of the righteous. A youth, besides being abler in many fields, his effort and willpower is better and higher than those who have come of age.”

Ayatollah Khamenei, who maintains a fatherly and close relation with the youths, recommends them to take the models of successful persons. In his opinion the life of Imam Ali (AS) can be one of the best practical models for the young generation.

He says, “Hazrat Ali (AS) in his youth in Mecca was a selfless element, a clever element and an active and pioneer youth. In every field he would remove big obstacles from the way of the Prophet. In the fields of danger he would confront the danger head-on and assume the most difficult tasks. With his self-sacrifice he made it possible for the Prophet to migrate to Medina and later in the period of Medina he was the commander of the army, commander of active groups. He was learned, clever, chivalrous and generous. As in the domain of government, he was an efficient person. As a young man he was truly far ahead of others in social affairs.”

The Prophet of Islam would always deem high value for the youths. During his over 10 year rule in Medina he not only benefited from Imam Ali as the best role model for the young generation but he made the best use of the abilities of the youths.

In the view of the Leader, the youths are abundant with hope, alacrity and intent to do what is ceded to them.

Youth is the period of creativity, innovation and reform. A youth embarks on trying various aspects of life. He experiences different things and takes risks to discover new horizons and unknown domains.

Ayatollah Khamenei says, “A youth is the axis of move in every society and country. If the move is revolutionary and the uprising is political the youths are on the scene ahead of others. If it is a construction or cultural move again the youths are ahead of others and their hand is more efficient than that of others. Even in the move of the divine messengers, including the move in the advent of Islam, the axis of the move and the center of striving and dynamism were the youths.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution maintains that if a country attaches importance to the issue of youths it will attain great achievements. He also believes that the countries which have small number of youths and, due to false policies are in shortage of young generation, will have to borrow youths from other countries although they may be advanced in sciences and technology.

Referring to the purity and sincerity of the nature of the youths, the Leader states, “The youths in every period of the history of the countries and nations can be one of the most important centers of happiness for a nation. The reason for this is that the youth enjoys natural purity. A youth is clean and untainted. The pollutions that come to humans and the chains that tie the hands and feet of their spirit and prevent them from marching, ascension and perfection, are either absent or very little in the youths. A youth is the place that the divine grace descends and in many cases his heart is the manifestation of special divine favors. The youths should appreciate this bounty. The purity that can be attained by human spirit and help him pass through the layers of material troubles and pollutions and vices to keep himself clean, this purity exists in the youths more than all other human beings.”

Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei considers the cleanness of the youths’ spirit as valuable and says that when he is engaged with the young people he feels as if he were breathing the fresh morning air. He says, “What usually crosses my mind while visiting the youths, which I have thought it over and over again, is that: do they themselves know what a radiant star shines in their forehead? I see this star. Do they see it, too? The star of youth is a very radiant and lucky star. If the youths feel this precious and unique jewel in themselves I think they will, God-willing, use it properly.”  

RM/ME