Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume II — Page 122
122 Address at the Inauguration of “Jami ‘ a Nusrat” Nations that Progress Always K eep the History of their Forefather’s in Mind Delivered by Hazrat Mirza Bashir - ud - D in Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifat - ul - Masih II ra June 14, 1951 After Tasha h hud , Ta’awwuz , and Surah Al - Fatiha h , Ha z rat Khalifat - ul - Masih II ra said: People Ch ange with Changing Times Times change, and people continue to change along with them. This is a universal law. Rivers run [their course] and due to the slop e and heights of mountains and fields , some parts [of the river] are put under pressure. Consequently, the direction of the river is altered further downstream. Sometimes the river continues to change ten , fifteen , twenty , or even thirty miles downstream. And at times it is people who change, and this result s in the changing of the eras. W e observe both things in this world. S ometimes people change beca use of the times and sometimes the times change because of the people. When a person is weak, he changes according to the changing times. When he is strong, the times change because of him. Weak nations continue to alter their previous greatness and strength in accordance with the changing times. They acquire bad customs from their neighbors ; they adopt bad behavior from their neighbors ; they take on indolence and ignorance from their neighbors ; they embrace lying and deception from their neighbors ; they pick up cruelty and oppression from their neighbors. And thus, that nation which once shone like the moon and the stars in the sky becomes utterly disgraced and worthless. Look at your own ancestors; when you get time to free yourselves from beautifying yourselves, then you will see what your ancestors were and what you are now. I have been told that when college students [here] selected their courses, the majority of them avoided the subject of history. This is just like a child who runs away at the prospect of being told to sit down so he