I was hoping by this time that I would have wonderful pictures of me in front of the Pyramids outside Cairo...a life long dream; however, something called a "Revolution" stood between me and my plans.
A friend once reminded me that, "You have big plans, but God has a bigger eraser!" For those who don't believe in a higher power...you can simply say, "You have big plans, but life has a bigger eraser!" I think you get the point.
In my case, when the Captain of the Jade announced that we would no longer be heading to Alexandria, but instead make course due North towards Istanbul (Constantinople), another dream came true as my earlier plan faded away.
Turkey is lovely, a place I will return (unless my plan is erased...), and a model of how a Muslim society can also function very well as a democratic society with mutual respect for those of Western background and a Christian faith. Turkey is the ideal for a Muslim world without fear, prejudice and hatred.
A Cab driver taking us into town for dinner one night summed it up best when he drove by the Iranian Embassy and said, "Those people are crazy!" The Turks get that fundamentalism, regardless of religious or non-religious preference, is the enemy of an open and human society. Which brings me back to Egypt in this article...
The "Revolution" has inspired a "Revelation" in my mind that...Life is a Pyramid. You must have a solid base upon which to build towards the top. Trickle down does not work, because it would be impossible to start building a pyramid from the top down.
However, some focus too much on the foundation and refuse to build towards the top, which requires work, inspiration and the stretching of imagination, and sink into fundamentalism. Others focus too much on the top, and forget where they came from in their quest to remain on the mountain top, whether spiritually, emotionally or physically.
Each stone in our life, each person we encounter, has a special purpose, a building block upon which to reach beyond our foundation towards what we can become. This is my hope for the Egyptian people as they strive towards democracy. This is my hope for all humanity as we focus less on what makes us different, and more on how we can stand with each other to build a better tomorrow.
After all, as Knights of Creation Spirit and Ale, we believe in "Unity Through Diversity"!
Sir Hook Who Walks With the Egyptians of Warrick
Well said, sir.
ReplyDeletethanks for being a rock in my life
ReplyDeleteand I mean that in a very good way!
Glad you enjoyed Turkey....as my brother Chris and wife also loved it there. Turkey is the model for Egypt to aspire to be. Brother Chris, the retired Army intelligence office (who still gets a boatload of updates daily) tells me democracy will hold in Egypt and the wacky Islamic fundamentalists will likely not get chance to take hold.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that Mubarek needs to funnel back a few billion to his people. Claims are he has more money than Bill Gates!
Anxious to hear your stories later this week brother. I'm still trying to regain my strength from the worse virus I've had in 15 years. Be glad you and Aileen missed it while you were gone.
Cheers!
Brother Sir Richard