Friday, February 11, 2011

Egyptian Revolution (#742)

It is rare for me to comment on a current event as I try to keep the post on a philosophical slant. Today however I am filled with emotion over how the Egyptian people displayed an ideal, the right to protest for a better way to live, with courage and perseverance. After 18 long and determined days the demand the Egyptian people refused to relent on, their leader's removal, has finally come to fruition. I am utterly taken aback by the will of an entire population to rise up out of the control of a system that had them stifled and condemned to inhuman treatment. It is easy to assume that when confronted with despair and a hope-crushing existence that we would naturally gird ourselves in the courage necessary to throw off that which is oppressing us. It would be a mistake to think that "natural" would reflect what the Egyptian people just showed the world. It was exemplary, beyond what others have done and serves as an inspiration to all of humankind as a blueprint for how to face the danger of change with unyielding courage. A man named Abdou Abdel-Monaam Hamadah set himself on fire to protest poor living conditions in front of the Parliament building in Cairo, Egypt's capital. His solitary act of despair served to not only highlight his own concern for life in Egypt but also reflected the despair the rest of all of Egypt was experiencing as well. One mans desperate act changed an entire nation in 18 days. I for one am humbled by the events that have occurred in that faraway land but I am also invigorated by it's heroic display. There is great hope for our species if this is what can come of a determined population of like-minded citizens within other countries where similar conditions prevail.

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