Silently courageous (#753)

I am still in awe at the behaviour of the protesters in Egypt who managed in 18 days to overthrow a corrupt government of 30 some years. There are those entities that advocate for violence and destruction as the only means for change but their argument has been annihilated. A silent courageousness has won out over bullying and thuggery. fear has been conquered by courage. I am still in awe and I will be for the rest of my life. the noble Egyptian civilization has given us the way forward. When confronted with despair and oppression as a reality, quietly standing up and staring down those forces in agreement with other like-minded citizens can prove to be the change to a new reality. This may not always occur as a result, millions have died throughout history expressing their hope for change through peace. But in the Egyptian case, a result that has captured our minds and hearts through modern communications has galvanized us together in such a way that others see the same possibilities for themselves. The new paradigm of passive resistance and the hope for democratic ideals seems to be the dynamic that can very well overhaul the hand of hard rule in favor of intellectual and modern progressive ideals. I remember once in an Eastern European studies class asking my professor if the newly liberated countries of the eastern bloc were writing new and enlightened constitutions for their countries and she just looked at me puzzled by the question and then said something to the effect of; (paraphrased) "How can we improve on the American constitution? Those who have been oppressed are just happy to be free and living in a country resembling democracy as their greatest hope." Like children playing in the sunshine, they are oblivious as to why, they are just happy to be playing in the sun.