What just happened

I started thinking about the important things in our life. Probably the most important is our health. Then maybe comes our family and our career. Of course there's others, like religion, politics and the environment and more, you could think of. Some may argue about the order of importance but it doesn't really make a great deal of difference, as it's an individual perception.

I'm wondering, seeing all the chaos that is happening in other countries, if we should be concerned about the events from a human point of view. Not the particular politics or religious context, but just what it means when we see revolution taking place, like in Egypt as an example. It's now obvious that repression would no longer be tolerated, and the younger generation, for the most part, led protests against the government, willing to be killed for an ideal, what was referred to as democracy with the right to freedom of expression. No one will be able to say for certain, right now, what will become of this quest for democracy, but very likely it will be an improvement from what was in place. However, the long term effects may not be realized as a functioning government is put in place. And as we have seen for many hundreds of years, as long as the human race divides itself into different religions, governments and countries, this will only lead to further conflict. I believe that true change has to go beyond that.

Egypt protesters remain calm allowing Superbowl to take over headlines

For many Americans (and Canadians who follow the NFL) it appears that yesterday's Superbowl game (which Greenbay Packers won btw) took the attention away from headlines about events occurring in Egypt. From what I've read this morning, it was a relatively calm day in Egypt, with no major violent events reported. It might be a sign that a rational approach to regime change may be in the works.

Also, there are still many protesters who refuse to return home and are continuing to occupy Cairo's Tahrir Square. They were described as forming a human chain around the 'Mugammo' which is a government complex where people go to have paperwork processed. On a positive note for people who need cash, the banks are open for the second straight day, but bad news for investors, as the stock market is not expected to open until next week. And for parents with kids it may be difficult, as schools remain closed. Kids probably not as upset, since they likely don't get any 'Snow-days'.

Egypt: Will the protesters run out of rocks?

Who knew that the people in Egypt were so unhappy with their leader/government? Living here in the West, I just assumed that they were fine with the way things were. I don't recall hearing any reporting, suggesting that the country of Egypt was run in a dictatorial and oppressive manner. The huge numbers of protesters and willingness to face brutality by police gives an indication of how opposed to the regime, the people are.

We don't know what will happen in Egypt, or whether the protesters will be successful in bringing about a democratic form of government in the near future. It does make us wonder if it will lead to freedom or a different style of autocracy. The good thing about the revolt is that it shows people won't tolerate repressive authority and demand that change be made. The bad thing is the possibility that the chaos may just lead to another government with more of the same, or worse.

I wonder how many other countries are run by dictators and military backed repressive governments and what lies ahead for them, if this type of revolution becomes popular. Maybe have to watch who's walking around with a bag, collecting rocks.