EGYPT, cultural renaissance & the Evolution of self.
Jan 25 2011, an “Egyptian revolution” rocked the world sparking a series of similar revolts across the Middle East.
The Egyptian people toppled a corrupt government with enormous restraint, commendable wisdom and grace.
However, MANY CHALLENGES IN EGYPT are not POLITICAL; rather their roots ARE found in the outbound CULTURE.
before MAKING any observation on culture, A REMINDER of the obvious MUST be made: “there is no substitute for BALANCE.”
in political REVOLUTION, MOVING from one CULTURAL EXTREME, or current PROBLEM TO ANOTHER does not create a future solution.
to THE EMERGING EGYPT past cultural EXTREMES HAVE RESULTED IN deficiencies IN ALL ASPECTS OF the individuals’ LIFE.
SUCH deficiencies inevitably manifest themselves throughout the whole SOCIETY.
THE lack OF PLATFORMS FOR CULTIVATING HEALTHY Individuality is a primary impediment to the advancement OF Civil SOCIETY in EGYPT. consequently, the Evolution OF “self”, is the solid root that nourishes the evolution of the COLLECTIVE OR Nation.
A BALANCE BETWEEN a healthy collectivism and an individuals freedom of self- discovery and self- EXPRESSION ARE CRUTIAL.
Cultural Values and the stark contrasting lines upon which they are drawn can be found in every experience of Egyptian life. We begin with the most visible IMPRESSION OF how the very values constructed to protect and support CULTURE, fail WHEN THEY become EXTREME. a cultural disregurd for balance and holistic THOUGHT CAN be found in MANY REPRESENTATIONS of EGYPTIAN SOCIETY, beginning with the surrounding “Physical Environment” and moving inward.
Physical Environment
Although Egyptian culture is perhaps one of the most positively pro family cultures, one sees the contradictions and undesired consequences of a “value- line” drawn so heavily at the family’s door.
In brief description, while homes are adorned with the best a family can muster, the whole community suffers severe neglect at the municipal and street levels.
The physical environment in and around the streets Imply more than piles of burning garbage and consequently un-breathable air; it is a visible representation of a lack of institutions and effective community organization .
Cities throughout the Nile Delta are among the world's most densely populated areas, containing an average of over 3,820 persons per square mile (1,540 per pkm²). Because of the physical environment , Women, children and the elderly are confined to the family’s flat, rarely venturing out. Sedentary lifestyles produce numerous illnesses such as, obesity frailty, and over all poor mental and physical health.
Young and middle- aged men are more mobile, yet exposed to an environment so degraded and unsanitary. Long-term exposure to these streets leads to a severely diminished quality of life and shortened life- span blatantly corresponding to the street environment. It is hard for even a passive observer to watch.
The unofficial objective of Egyptian culture to “Build prosperous families” is heavily contradicted in this foregoing example. Apathy toward a holistic wholisticly oriented cultural literally physically imprisons the individual, as the street environment is nearly inhospitable.
This cultural disregard for balanced thinking is found when looking at the “all- important collective.” A culture of extremes strips the individual of enormous potential, forcing all people into a static culture of single mindedness; Ignorance becomes a tradjic diversion in identifying those roots of Egypt’s real challenges.
Culture as the political seed :
It is said, “ The People get the government they deserve.” -In short Culture is the political seed. By this definition “government” is an indirect manifestation of a collective self-worth; demonstrated and actualized through culture. It is not the government, rather an imbalance in currently debated Egyptian culture, which until know obstructed the fundamental needs and rights of its masses.
In Egypt, especially among the young, there is an intense, yet unspoken, search for “the Way” or “liberation of the self.”
With each day that passes the illusion of Government fades. The decentralization of recourse and the ensuing realities are defined by the character of its people.
The bigger the government, the smaller the citizen
For clarity we must look at the substance rather than the shadow it casts.
With the removal of a handful of corrupt individuals, “government” is at this time essentially non-existent in Egypt.
One might conclude that this means the citizen is LARGE. How ever Till now, the countries organized religions have been the “segregate Institutional equivalent of the government.” A one size fits all religious practice is the only repository for self - expression an individual has. When observing the ego driven mentality of Egyptian culture, we find a major discord /imbalance, as cultural ideals prohibit the individual from forming and uniting with “self”.
Antiquated religious dogmas until now permeated Egyptian culture, locking the individual down in society; rather then liberating he or she with the Devine knowledge, “ The healthy individuals essence is a societal treasure”.
Religion and citizenry:
Religion is viably the only form of citizenry in Egypt. For all sects, the sense of belonging to a community, and really having a platform to contribute to this community, exists almost exclusively within the religious realm. To these religious institutions, the awakening of the individual is like an armed rebel to an unpopular government.
In Egypt the majorities of spiritual, intellectual and material capital all move within “culturally appropriate” religious confines.
While Religious practice in Egypt continues a path of moral law, true / false, right / wrong, inevitably it pushes the individual away from community, as its rigidness has become a great obstacle in moving closer toward one’s own true self.
This discord with “the self” has lead to the current massive swell of humanity with its discontent.
The inquiry into illumination of “the Way “and movement toward self are occurring by the millions. This collective longing, having reached a critical mass, reveals the sprouts of a genuine cultural renaissance. Yet there are a few institutions that can nourish and quench the curiosities and ambitions of the youth. A greater variety of institutions are needed to serve the many needs of a population growing in size and complexity.
The INDIVIDUAL and Institution- building:
As we see, the religious sect predominates at the communities’ center. At nearly every juncture, the individual faces an uphill battle in discovering and expressing his /her individuality. This is especially true when it does not conform to the current culture, style, customs and worldview.
The reality is while Egyptians have “some sort of longing for self- expression”, both the upper and lower class have very little real exposure to the possibilities of a “healthy modernism” that manifests itself in life- enhancing, codes of conduct, liberation of the heart and mind- in addition to the responsibilities associated with internalizing and maintaining “healthy modernism”.
Safely assuming that it is the individual who ultimately creates communities of like- mind, it is these communities that build institutions and serve limited segments of the population. We find the need for a balanced culture that helps men and women to cultivate and assert their essence. Such a healthy development can guarantee higher quality of life to larger segments of the population.
The Individual vs. The collective:
Generally, Egyptians are A-political. They are primarily interested in bringing harmony to their immediate surroundings. Although the allegiance to the “family” or “religious sect” is strong, many of them can be considered mildly religious.
However, Group mentality, being what it is, the disposition can be divisive, making “the OTHER” the enemy. Sectarian mentalities, and over- interference with the way of life of OTHERS, make adversaries of countrymen and even family members.
Many disagree with this “sectarian Mentality” and other similar extreme cultural positions. Just or unjust, however, they are silenced out of fear of social Ostracization; Making it difficult to stand for even the most basic human rights.
Fighting the POWER
Defiance is encouraged at the early stages of child development. Male and female, both taking their lumps for being defiant, early on learn that winning and losing is part of the game. To lie down could be the end of you, to cry is to be beaten even harder; to fight back with honor and logic is to be respected or rewarded.
With this said, the spirit of “Fighting the POWER”, or challenging authority has not yet been carried to the top! There is a very cautious line drawn at the elders and religious’ authorities. Publicly expressing one’s true views is often socially unaffordable, an indicator as to why decade after decade, those authorities have perpetuated subjugation- thus Egypt’s challenges have remained unabated. Culture is dear to many. It brings security to even those that do not like it. As a result, often this very culture is upheld by some of its greatest opposition, purely out of self-preservation. The rights of self- discovery and self-expression are being advanced by challenges to “power.” Yet it is really the god given need to exercise SELF that has begun to create the cultural circulation that is diversity.
Diversity
From its inception individuality brings the freshness of diversity to any culture.
However, in close- minded society, one is not encouraged to think, rather obliged to follow the crowd. If culture aims, consciously or unconsciously, to eradicate the individual, the Manifestation of this suppression clearly materializes in the lack of diversity across the social spectrum.
This lack of diversity is most damaging to worldviews, further translated into more immediate and visible removal of varying forms of self-expression, “fashion”, spiritual practice and behavioral patterns.
Holier than thou Fashion statement
Because wealth, or economic attainment is out of the reach of the masses,
Religious Piousness has become a widespread way of distinguishing one’s self or gaining status / rank. The limited esthetic styles expressed on the street are almost exclusively religious, whether it’s a beard- style or the gown a women wears, or the branding tattoos of religious symbols both genders may wear. This has become more a fad then a matter of spiritual practices: one of the safest ways to express oneself within stylistic and socially acceptable lines. This pious identity is wide spread because such expression passes with little scrutiny. Instead of being fashion, sports or art as in western societies, it is of religious connotation in the greater Middle East. However, these self expressions bound to world views Carry with them religious sectarian connotation that permeates society, thus disconnecting the individual from his/her self and attaching them to a cultural end, mis-educating the masses on a deep social level.
As a result worldviews are constructed and the
Accumulation of resentment: builds. The ability to care for the future is in how we choose to act now. Despite the fact that our focus on the things we love has the power to transform the things we hate. Cultural narratives, places of worship; politics and the TV, all perpetuate this chronic blame- passing game. A healthy amount of self-study and willingness to take on the challenge of owning one’s own actions and the circumstances they create is the only way to clear a cultural of blaming others for the current state of life in Egypt.
The Abraham riddles:
the consequence of living in “the story” or the “Abraham riddle”. Is not only the story is perpetuated but the The missed opportunity .
It is a story exploited to no positive end, the imposable riddle, it stretches the past and reaches the future, while neglecting the time we live in. The opportunities to restore balance to these extreme worldviews present themselves with every action and uterence, every second of everyday.
The Middle Eastern mind has been blocked from exploring THE NOW and its cultural options. Robbed of ingenuity, applied to the possibilities of new paradigms, Egyptians and the entire Middle East have been stuck in a pattern of denying themselves a better future. We have been raised not on true humanist morality, i.e.; “healthy individuality.’’ Rather, we have been bred with contempt for today based on vows that were sent down by previous generations. These vows cast Christians, Muslims and Jews into roles of one of the world’s greatest dramas; each with their respective slant for or against. Supposed, of the same father Abraham, brothers are made warring minds and bodies. Whatever version of the “story”, many are living in the “end days.” Despite this lazy thinking, we are very much alive; the world is not coming to an end. We must live in a reality of the NOW. The promise of a better after-life is awarded for committing crimes against humanity in this life, severely affecting the minds of the masses and the ability to make peace now, and sustainable decisions for generations that come after us.
Education
Egypt has the largest overall education system in the Middle East and North Africa.
The country has moved from a highly centralized system to offering more autonomy to individual institutions, yet Egypt’s overbearing homogenous religious culture Penetrates most educational institutions, regardless of its mission statement or the origin of funding. The result is an unforgiving, and inflexible worldview. This vacuum inhibits the spawning of free thought, ultimately its full expression in the development of the Healthy individual hence the health of society. No change of power can liberate people. Only a change in the people can guarantee a removal of tyranny and bring balance to power.
When looking at culture not just Egyptian but also that of all nations, Humanity and the earth. It is impossible to deny the overwhelming experience of a mysterious yet specific existence of the “ONE and ONNESS.
From the anatomy of an atom, too the male and female, too the powerful and powerless; these unthinkably complex relationships reveal knowledge of cosmic proportions.
Be it political economic or religious, Egyptian culture for its own sake must continue to remove obstacles to the individuals healthy relationship with “self”.
How, when, and where to create laws for society are a moral and a philosophical debate in which the people must eternally be engaged.
However Healthy Self-discovery and self-expression are not just basic human rites, but laws of nature.
Again balance is paramount to this and all aspects of life.
From the individual to the masses and back again. The reflective nature of this relationship places the responsibility with both the individual and society.
Given its history, Egypt at this time will benefit enormously in seeing
“A healthy individual like the stone of the fruit is a societal treasure. Devine; Healthy individualism is the spore from which scientific spiritual and ultimately human Evolution spawn.
Oziris T Abdou
