Our Parsi Irani Zoroastrian community is known for its value system of hard work, integrity and honesty end that must remain paramount in the minds of our youth. For a small community like ours, our youth must endeavour to strive towards excellence in whatever they do and make that, the hallmark of the community. Excellence and hardwork imply upholding the Truth in both word and deed. All these sterling qualities come to us from our religion founded by Prophet Spitaman Zarathushtra, some 3500 years ago in the land of Airyana Vaeja. The prophet extolled ".... advance the world of piety by industry for Ahura Mazda associates Himself with them through (His) Good Mind and guides them :or their happiness." (Ys, 46.12)
“Our youngsters must study and work hard as the competition for our youth to do well in life is fierce, and challenging. The world has become a global village and our youth have to fit into a new work order and culture. This means that greater emphasis has to be placed upon consciously increasing and strengthening our Parsi/lrani Zoroastrian way of life and identity, in all possible ways.”
It is important for our youth to make time to learn about the religion in order to understand the tenets of the faith, which in our religion can be experienced through the performance of rituals and practices which have come down to us, over the millennia. The next generation must learn to incorporate the knowledge of the religion and absorb it, both physically and spiritually. For it is said in Book VI of the Denkard, "From knowledge of the religion there comes about consideration of the sacred word...from the sacred word....there comes about the increase of (ones) calling of the religion and the worship of Divinities, from the calling of the religion... and the worship of divinities...comes the elimination of the evil forces (demons) from the world... from the elimination of the evil forces... there comes about immortality, the Renovation and the Resurrection." (D.K. Book VI c-75)
“Our youth are our future and therefore it is imperative that they seek to marry within the fold as history has shown that it is because of maintaining ethnic fidelity that the Parsis and Iranis have preserved their religious roots so successfully, to date. If more of our youngsters marry out, then the seed of Parsi/lrani "panu" is going to be weakened, substantially, in the future. This, we should try and avoid at all costs, or else within 4 generations our ethnicity will disappear and by extension so will our religion, if we open our doors to intermarriage and/or conversion. Strengthening our ethno-religious identity is the crucial need of the Hour and this is what I would like our younger generation to prioritize and uphold.”
In conclusion, our youth should strive to be content and happy for the religion teaches us to be happy within ourself so as to spread happiness unto others.