Some Thoughts on Why The Events in Egypt Are So Important

I’ve been truly moved in the last weeks, as I believe many of us have, by the events still unfolding in Egypt. Watching the Egyptian people, young, old, Muslim, Christian, Left and right, come together to raise their voices as one against a corrupt regime has been truly inspiring. There are so many lesson that we can learn from their incredible example. The first, and I believe most important lesson, is that Democracy, a true democracy based on ideas of freedom of expression, freedom from unlawful persecution, and social justice cannot be given, it must be taken by its people. They have to want it with every fiber of their collective being. This is what we’ve seen recently in Egypt, an entire nation’s soul set aflame, yearning to be the determiners of their own destiny, to live free and unencumbered by the chains of fear and oppression. The “Democracy at the end of a stick” approach that has been tried so unsuccessfully in Iraq and Afghanistan, is not only inadequate, but carries a price tag in lives, both for the still oppressed population, and the so called liberator.

The second lesson I take away from the Egyptian revolution, or more specifically the American reaction to it, is that something is missing from the communal psyche of our nation, something we once had, but have lost. In general Americans don’t tend to care much about the course or fate of members of the international community.

However, this uprising has captured the attention of this nation for one reason -envy. We see the Egyptian people, rightfully campaigning, and in some cases laying down their lives for the freedoms they are owed as human beings. We see a revolution that transcends political parties, religion or economy, and we feel a longing. We long for the time when the sort of revolutionary spirit being exemplified in Egypt was a part of our very lives. We long for a time when civic engagement was not the exception, but the rule. A time when dissenters were honored, and lauded for their courage, not put on a list and harassed at airports. Americans see in Egypt something they have lost, and want desperately to regain.

Lastly, the most universal lesson given to us by the courage of the citizens of Egypt, is one that keeps the leaders of this world awake at night. That lesson is that no government, no regime, no heavy handed corporation can long endure, when the will of the people has turned against. In the face of popular revolution, tanks, bullets bombs and gas mean little in the long run. History has shown us that inevitably the will of the people will win out. We are already seeing the ramifications of this all across the Middle East, as even the King of Jordan, Abdullah II, a generally fair handed monarch, has suspended his government in the wake of protests in his country. Protests inspired by the Egyptian people. We must always remember that the will of the people of not just any given nation, but of the world itself is absolute. We are the final determiners of our fate. We are oppressed only as long as we allow ourselves to be and our destiny lies in our hands, not those of the government which may or may not truly represent us, or corporations who operate outside of laws or ethics to rob us of our basic freedoms.

This revolution is a wake up call for both the international community and for the citizens of America. This is the legacy of the Egyptian people, and to them I say thank you.

Moments

I really connect with the song “Grapevine Fires” by Death Cab For Cutie. If you haven’t heard it, I’d say check it out for sure, but then of course I would, I’ve got that connection. Anyway, It reminds me like so many things do, of the finite nature of our lives. As the lyrics wind around the melody, and the harmony of the chorus fills my ears, I’m reminded of the importance of moments. Life is, after all, just a series of small moments. They are less like scenes in a play, and more like single frames in a longer picture. Unlike a film however, there is no rewinding. How would the way we watch a movie be effected if we knew that we could only watch a movie once, and then never be able to see it again. Would we watch flippantly as I’m sure many of us do, talking, or maybe checking our email during the slow parts? Or, would we treasure each part, absorbing it, trying to understand its place in the fullness of the greater story?

The song reminds me the importance of capturing little moments. minute impressions, and the observation of minutiae often taken for granted or ignored completely can have an often spiritual or supernatural affect on us, if we take time to understand their significance. Some of the most potent and memorable times in my life have been very simple. Standing out on my back porch on a chilly autumn morning, watching as the fog settles on the frosted grass, or reading on the couch late at night, while jazz plays softly on NPR in the other room. Moments like these can have a profound power if allowed. They become transformative experiences, moments that allow us to reflect on, well, whatever we might want. Whether we ruminate on ourselves, our friends, things spiritual, political or existential, or simply silence our minds and let the moment wash over us, we learn something.

What people do with these moments is up to them. I think most people dismiss them. I have at times found them uncomfortable, and can’t blame these people entirely. The mind rebels, sometimes violently, against change in its many forms. These moments of enlightenment bring that change, they change something inside of us altering, ever so slightly, the way we see, and understand the world. That’s scary. Many people, myself included, tend to succumb to that fear allowing it to carry us out of the moment, and into the day. We slip back into the stream of time. We pop in our earbuds, blast our car stereo’s, or bury ourselves in work to drown out the voice that tells us to seek the moments. But, when we bury the fear, reject the pace of the day, and allow ourselves, even for just a few seconds to reach out and grab the moments instead of letting them fly-by, we open ourselves up to incredible possibilities.