Out of Egypt.

Cairo is a city of congestion with lots of people walking in every direction almost as thick as the dented cars that are honking their horns as they weave into tight spaces trying to move ahead. We were on foot walking to the wonderful Cairo Museum. A museum that has change very little in twenty-five years since the first time I darkened it’s doors to see the amazing treasures of King Tutankhamun. In fact the Egyptian citizens probably felt the same way about their country. Nothing has changed for the last thirty years under the iron fist rule of Hosni Mubarak. When things don’t change, it breeds a sense of hopelessness. As much as us nostalgia buffs want to keep things the same, we know that change is a gift and new innovative things are a part of the way God has created this thing we call “life.”

So, amid the toxic pollution of Cairo, there comes a breath of fresh air. It is the fresh air of change, of hope and of freedom. Night after night, I was amazed by the tenacity of those who came to demonstrate against this old regime that had held people down from self-actualization, achievement and personal fulfillment. It’s hard to go to school and then spend the rest of your life drinking coffee with others who have no job. But then, day after day people got up with a glimmer of hope to stand in front of tanks for the most part peacefully and demand freedom. It’s interesting what freedom does. The hope of it makes you lock arms with the person next to you to form a human barrier to prevent people from entering the Cairo Museum and stealing objects that belong to the World and to Egypt.

Freedom also gives you pride where before you had none. I was amazed to see people after Mubarak stepped down go into places like the Tahrir Square and begin cleaning up the mess of debris, litter and garbage that had accumulated during nearly three weeks of demonstrations. Freedom gives you a sense of pride and hopefully responsibility. It almost seems like it came immediately to these Egyptians who took responsibility to clean up the streets that they had littered.

On our walk to the Cairo Museum I noticed two huge lion sculptures at the base of the Qasr el-Nil Bridge. You can’t help but notice them because they are so huge. Later, I saw pictures of people cleaning them. I’m sure they haven’t been cleaned for years but as one person said, “this is our country now and we must take care of it.” It brought a smile to my face and made me think about how much we take freedom for granted in this country. It’s a shame that so few people vote on Election Day here. The contrast is almost jarring when you see people risking their lives, standing in front of tanks and in front of harms way to obtain that same privilege. That alone speaks volumes.

Thoughts on a revolution.

I have been to Egypt a few times, but this time was a bit different. We spent a lot of time on foot, in cars and saw the countryside in an up close and personal way. It’s a land of great importance, not only as an ally to the United States, but in the part that it plays in the history of our faith. It was Mary and Joseph who fled to Egypt to save their very lives. It was the exodus out of Egypt that is remembered in our Judeo-Christian past by the Passover. When the children of Israel wandered for forty years, it was in the desert of Sinai. When Moses received the Ten Commandments, he does so on Mt. Sinai. Even today there is a strong Christian presence in Egypt known as the Coptic Church. In Luxor we actually encountered the wonderful hospitality of the Coptic Church and were privy to a wedding.

We were just traveling through for a few days to see the wonders of this country. It is the land of the pyramids and pharaohs. It is the land of that famous river called “the Nile”, where the baby Moses was discovered by the Egyptian princess. It is a nation of tombs, mummies, sarcophagus’ and graves, with such places as the tomb of King Tutankhamen and the Valley of the Kings.

Egypt may be a land of history filled with dead mummies and monuments to the dead, but it is very much alive today. As you travel you can feel the weight of history all around you, but you can also see enormous congestion, horrific traffic, smog you can taste because it is so thick. Rivers look polluted and have become dumping grounds. The streets are full of garbage and cars are driving wildly in every direction, never staying within the lanes. It is a modern day “Dodge City. ”You are dealing with enormous poverty with people living in shacks. The salary that most people are living on is under $2000.00 per year. The government is subsidizing bread, which is the basic food of life for the ordinary Egyptian.

I found it unique and different, but at the same time, depressing. It’s a country that has been dominated for decades by dictators. It is a country with massive corruption, which leaves its people victimized and caught in a cycle of never ending poverty. It’s not an old country for 60% of the people are under thirty years old. There are lots of young people who are educated, but have no jobs and no future. The wealthy always put their foot on the necks of those who are pressed. Now the people are speaking and it’s a message being heard around the world. It’s a message of frustration and anger that is calling for Hosni Mubarak to step down and end this toxic rule that is choking the life out of Egypt’s people.

The people I met in Egypt were friendly. And despite how poor they were, they maintained a smile, a hospitable attitude and a willingness to help those who come as a tourist to enjoy their country. Now it’s their time to get a break, to have democracy and to have freedom.