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.