Dear reader,
I sincerely apologize if you feel that my words in this entry are less organized. This is an unusual time I am (as well as many people in the Arab region and the world are) passing through and this is an extraordinary event that won’t differ much in its catalytic effect on my emotions than if I woke up one day to find that there is no sun, no solar system! (Only difference is that I woke up a few weeks ago and found out that the sun is not censored anymore, and that the dark ages of some systems are over!)
I was trying to write down my feelings and thoughts and document the event for several days but writing seemed much harder than it used to be, may be because my thoughts ceased to move as quickly as the earthquake that is shaking everything around. It is a political earthquake and it is shaking many of the allegations we (the 1980+ generation) have been spoon-fed for all those years. The effect of hypnotism is vanishing.
Credit goes to people of Tunisia and Egypt.
For the first time, many of us (the ordinary citizens) sensed that our dignity is preserved in our nations, that our voices do matter, and that we can make a difference. For the first time, those people felt proud of their identity and countrymen. For the first time, many have cried not because of humiliation but because of pride.
Salute your brave hearts, you have written one of the brightest pages in our modern history.
While I will add no extra value to the lessons learned by analyzing and talking about the drivers that caused the lid to be blown out that way (everybody knows the status of “most of” the ME in terms of freedoms, human rights, and living conditions) and the new dynamics (everyone acknowledges the role of media and social networking), and while describing my feelings, no matter how deep they are, won’t add much, but I want to make few points:
- The sense of identity is the one native nature and one of the deepest values of being a human. We need to sense individuality and be autonomous (able to determine own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors). Challenging these native values by trying to repress them have always proved to be a risky gambling. For the first time those diverse people with such massive amounts were moved by the collective and native sense of national identity (not external events, or the penchant of one man or one sect not even religious). And for the first time we witness in the last three decades in the Arab region that the abolishment of the national loyalty (by the leadership) for the sake of serving personal, sectarian, or external interests have counter effects .
- Some reactions were surprising (though not shocking). Some people (some western officials to be specific) deal with duplicity towards this common human right that they think the “Yes we can” motto applies (or may be deserves to be applied) on a certain class of humans and when it comes to the people of the middle east they switch to different definitions of morals and values. I can feel them telling themselves (well, “yes we can”, is a nice motto FOR US, but may be you shouldn’t try it). Let me reiterate the eloquent say of Mr. Erdogan in his speech yesterday ”We believe that democracy doesn’t lead to radicalism and doesn’t cause chaos”. We want democracy and we deserve it. It was very touching to watch videos on how the people of Tunis and Egypt formed domestic committees to protect the neighborhoods, they even washed the streets. Those are educated and civilized people and THEY CAN because they wanted to, hence the destiny submitted.
- Also some people tried to ignore or marginalize this event. Some of them think that expressing any emotions towards this popular revolutions can result in the authorities of their own countries to think that they have revolutionary tendencies and that they are to be tracked. They want to prove to their authorities that they are blind to such events because we have been tought that blindness and blockage is the one effective technique for preventing sinister temptations and ‘unwelcomed’ aspirations.
Well, let me tell you folks, pathetic is the soul that fears to admire the glory. And let me tell you (authority man in case you are reading this) that we are rational enough to know that upheavals are the one very extreme resolution to incurable corruption and intolerable repression. We love our countries and advocate its stability. We applaud every sincere effort for improvement. And we (the educated citizens) are aware that the road to a prosperous society is long and may take many careful, wise, and gradient steps. I think that the first step starts from our inside, we need to have civilized manners, tolerance and respect to each other. We need to value education and work hard to construct a record of reputable achievements in the fields of science, culture (including arts and sports), and business.
May this region be blessed, and may it have a bright future of prosperity. Salutation to the rise of freewill and dignity.
Tunis and Egypt: Salute the Rise of Dignity and Freewill
February 1, 2011I sincerely apologize if you feel that my words in this entry are less organized. This is an unusual time I am (as well as many people in the Arab region and the world are) passing through and this is an extraordinary event that won’t differ much in its catalytic effect on my emotions than if I woke up one day to find that there is no sun, no solar system! (Only difference is that I woke up a few weeks ago and found out that the sun is not censored anymore, and that the dark ages of some systems are over!)
I was trying to write down my feelings and thoughts and document the event for several days but writing seemed much harder than it used to be, may be because my thoughts ceased to move as quickly as the earthquake that is shaking everything around. It is a political earthquake and it is shaking many of the allegations we (the 1980+ generation) have been spoon-fed for all those years. The effect of hypnotism is vanishing.
Credit goes to people of Tunisia and Egypt.
For the first time, many of us (the ordinary citizens) sensed that our dignity is preserved in our nations, that our voices do matter, and that we can make a difference. For the first time, those people felt proud of their identity and countrymen. For the first time, many have cried not because of humiliation but because of pride.
Salute your brave hearts, you have written one of the brightest pages in our modern history.
While I will add no extra value to the lessons learned by analyzing and talking about the drivers that caused the lid to be blown out that way (everybody knows the status of “most of” the ME in terms of freedoms, human rights, and living conditions) and the new dynamics (everyone acknowledges the role of media and social networking), and while describing my feelings, no matter how deep they are, won’t add much, but I want to make few points:
Well, let me tell you folks, pathetic is the soul that fears to admire the glory. And let me tell you (authority man in case you are reading this) that we are rational enough to know that upheavals are the one very extreme resolution to incurable corruption and intolerable repression. We love our countries and advocate its stability. We applaud every sincere effort for improvement. And we (the educated citizens) are aware that the road to a prosperous society is long and may take many careful, wise, and gradient steps. I think that the first step starts from our inside, we need to have civilized manners, tolerance and respect to each other. We need to value education and work hard to construct a record of reputable achievements in the fields of science, culture (including arts and sports), and business.
May this region be blessed, and may it have a bright future of prosperity. Salutation to the rise of freewill and dignity.