Notable reflection while being in Egypt this past winter
Dec 1st 2014:
"I'm actually not comfortable at all with the hierarchy system here in Egypt. I was waiting for an elevator and their was a delivery man waiting ahead of me. When the elevator came he opened the door out of courtesy to let me in but then closed it without entering. I felt ashamed; since he was obviously less wealthy than me, I automatically had the right of way? My status automatically gave me entitlement. It wasn't my turn. It was his turn. It was too late to demand him to come in or ride first. Even if possible, how would I have been able to do that. How would I have been able to convince him that it's his right to ride right now. It felt unfair. It felt very unfair, and I am not even the one who should be upset. For me it's injustice, for him it's the norm. This tiny incident really stuck out to me. Made me ponder a reoccurring question. How can we want to implement democratic values in a country where the opposite is so deeply rooted within our culture?"
"I'm actually not comfortable at all with the hierarchy system here in Egypt. I was waiting for an elevator and their was a delivery man waiting ahead of me. When the elevator came he opened the door out of courtesy to let me in but then closed it without entering. I felt ashamed; since he was obviously less wealthy than me, I automatically had the right of way? My status automatically gave me entitlement. It wasn't my turn. It was his turn. It was too late to demand him to come in or ride first. Even if possible, how would I have been able to do that. How would I have been able to convince him that it's his right to ride right now. It felt unfair. It felt very unfair, and I am not even the one who should be upset. For me it's injustice, for him it's the norm. This tiny incident really stuck out to me. Made me ponder a reoccurring question. How can we want to implement democratic values in a country where the opposite is so deeply rooted within our culture?"
I saw this situation everywhere, even with my closest friends. So let me help put y'all in check. You are in no way any better than the man or woman standing next to you. Being richer doesn't mean anything and it sure doesn't mean you have the right to live a patriarchic life and ignore equality. Just because you're a materialistic fool who wears all brands or wants to always be best dressed during EVERY outing *cringes*, DOESNT, let me repeat DOES NOT mean you're automatically the leader of the pack, the cooler person in the group etc etc etc. Please realize that this is wrong and needs to change for the sake of progression in our country. The real things that are holding us back is the people, el sha3b el masri. Start trying to evaluate your self and daily routine life. Search for flaws (trust me they're there) and over time think about how you can change that about yourself and inner family. If you find this too hard (if you think 'garabt wa mafesh haga 3'alat') simply watch your family or group of friends. Make this a goal in 2015. You'll come to realize a lot and come out transformed, at least in thought, I promise. If everyone tried this with their inner family our country will be way better off. And while there's a possibility of 1k reading this I'm more than satisfied knowing tat 15 people read this, 10 are willing to try this out in order to better themselves, and 5 will talk about there findings/conclusions with someone else and encourage them to try it out. If you to reflect with someone but don't have that person in your life who's interested in talking about anything outside the mainstream, Message Me!! I'd love to listen to your reflections and go back and forth with you and exchange opinions.
With Love,
Shourouk
