Walk Like an Egyptian

Ana el Masry. "I am Egyptian."

For the past few months, I struggled to find the inspiration to post something new to my blog. I finally found it. People who know me know that I tend to be the most apolitical guy around and tend to take a logical approach to addressing and understanding world events. I have strong opinions about certain things, but I usually keep them contained unless I'm solicited for my two cents. After watching the events unfolding in Egypt over the last 3 weeks, I stand quiet no longer.

The protests in Egypt, popularly known as the 25th January Revolution or the Revolution of the Youth, strike at the very core of my humanity. They displayed human's yearning to be free - free of oppression, free of corruption, free of the circumstances that cause us to trudge along in the well-worn mold that we call our lives. It is very difficult to be impartial after observing these events.

I spent a few minutes nearly every day watching the live coverage on Al-Jazeera and BBC. The courage these men, women, and children displayed was truly amazing. They were steadfast despite being sprayed with water cannons and bullets, dodging rocks and Molotov cocktails, defending themselves with only their bodies and metal barricades. That they did not strike back with violence despite repeated provocations makes me respect them all the more. Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. would be proud.

We live in very troubled times. Economical and political circumstances are dire. Our cultures, religions, and way of lives are under attack - from within and outside. What the Egyptians did and will continue to do can only give us hope that we can change, starting with ourselves and those around us. They are a fresh beacon that show we can and need to be better human beings, to stand firm in what we believe in, but also push for our basic rights.

Even for a relatively stoic person like me, I couldn't help but be moved by the videos below: