‘We Can't’ Mindset Changed to ‘We Can’ after Islamic Revolution: Leader

Members of Iran’s Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution met with Ayatollah Khamenei in Tehran on Tuesday.

In the meeting, the Leader stated that the Council’s main role is to guide the culture of the people in the country.

Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized that it is necessary for the country’s cultural structure to undergo a revolutionary reconstruction.

"By observing and recognizing the weaknesses and false ideas in the culture in different areas, the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution needs to provide wise solutions for propagating correct, bettering concepts.”

At the beginning of the meeting, the Leader referred to the presence of prominent, elite experts in the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, and said, “Despite the elevated, high status of the individuals present in this Council, the collective identity of the Supreme Council has not demonstrated itself in the way that is required. It is necessary for the Council to strengthen its influence in the country’s cultural affairs. Of course, the members of the Council have other jobs and it is not expected that they refrain from undertaking their main duties. However, we expect that they allocate a suitable, adequate amount of time for the Council’s affairs.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also addressed the question concerning what the duties of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution are. “The Council’s most important role and responsibility is to guide the culture in the country and society.”

He emphasized that the method of cultural guidance by official organizations is different from cultural guidance by NGOs and grassroots organizations.

“By correctly guiding thousands of NGOs and grassroots organizations that are undertaking diverse, extensive cultural activities, the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution can prepare the foundation for the formation of a public movement with regard to important issues, such as spreading the culture of being satisfied and not wasting.”

The Leader believes that these kinds of public movements for raising people’s awareness and correcting wrong cultures are a part of cultural engineering. With regard to the guidance of government cultural organizations, he added, “In the case of organizations such as (the Ministry of) Culture and Islamic Guidance, (the Ministry of) Education, the Islamic Development Organization, and the IRIB, you cannot guide a culture by just issuing documents for reform. These documents must be realized and implemented, and the heads of the three Executive Branches need to be present in the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution in order to guarantee their implementation.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also referred to the matters he spoke about last year during his meeting with Iran’s cabinet regarding the need for a revolutionary reconstruction of the country's cultural structure. He said, “What is meant by 'structure' is the cultural structure of the society and the mentality and culture that governs it. In one word, it is the culture that people in society base their actions on in their individual and collective lives.”

He explained that the reason for a need for a revolutionary reconstruction of the cultural structure is due to the fact that the Islamic Revolution brought about miracles through the leadership of Imam Khomeini (RA) and the movement of the people, and it changed the political, cultural, and social foundations and false ideas that had ruled over people’s minds.

The Leader further stated that the culture of saying "We can't" is one of the false ideas that prevailed in society prior to the Islamic Revolution. He said, “The Revolution gradually changed this mindset with its constructive work and creative movements, which led to major accomplishments, such as: the construction of dams, power plants, highways, oil and gas industry equipment, and many infrastructures. These projects were carried out by young, domestic experts.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also stressed that the culture of “infatuation with the West” and even the use of foreign words to be another wrong culture that had been common in society. He explained that it was the Islamic Revolution that changed this incorrect mindset and transformed this culture into a culture of “objecting to the West,” Khamenei.ir reported.

The Leader also regarded the shift from a culture of "egocentrism and seeking fame" to a culture of "sacrifice and selflessness" to be an example of the cultural impact of the Islamic Revolution on people's personal lives. He underlined that despite the change of many incorrect foundations, various factors weaken the determined spirit of the Revolution over time. Therefore, this issue is something that must be carefully monitored to prevent the reappearance of those wrong foundations again.

Ayatollah Khamenei added that the revolutionary culture and spirit can be revived once again and that a great cultural movement can be created with the help of the intellectual foundations of the Revolution and the active youth.

The Leader believes that this issue is one of the essential tasks that need to be undertaken by the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution. He emphasized that the Council must think, work, and plan in order to do this.

Ayatollah Khamenei also pointed out that constant monitoring of the usually hidden cultural changes and timely treatment of problems is essential for the revolutionary reconstruction of the country's cultural structure. He added, “If we are weak and backward in continuously understanding these changes and preventing their negative effects, our society will definitely be harmed. Cultural turmoil or control of the country's cultural affairs falling into the hands of others are the most important of these harms.”

The Leader stated that correct cultural engineering is a necessary, fundamental task for reforming the cultural structure. He pointed out that constant vigilance, accurate recognition of cultural weaknesses in areas such as society, politics, family, lifestyle, and other areas, as well as efforts to find wise solutions to eliminate weaknesses and promote a correct cultural mindset are some of the basic requirements for the country's cultural engineering.

He stated that cultural engineering has led to the clarification of the work that needs to be done by various organizations, such as in the Ministry of Education, in the IRIB, in higher education, in centers related to the youth, and also in NGOs. He warned that if these organizations neglect their important duties, society will suffer tremendously.

Ayatollah Khamenei stressed the urgent need for the revival of the feeling of a need for scientific progress. He also praised the outstanding results that have been achieved due to an increase in the prevalence of the mindset of wanting to cross the borders of knowledge in the past two decades, “The great leap forward in scientific and technological areas was one of the blessed effects of that great movement. This must continue.”

The Leader stressed that universities, scientific and research centers, and related institutions should make scientific progress their top priority so that our country does not fall behind in the sciences.

At the beginning of this meeting, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi stated that the main mission of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution is a restructuring in scientific and cultural fields. He pointed out that the reform document of this Council has been finalized, and he gave a report on the measures taken in the new administration, including pursuing the revolutionary reconstruction of the cultural structure.