Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Egypt: ‘the revolution lives as long as we will die for it’

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Egypt: ‘the revolution lives as long as we will die for it’

Click here to access article by Jerome Roos from Reflections on a Revolution. (Note: be sure to read the comments following the article.)

I felt a bit uncomfortable with parts of this essay, but nevertheless it is a thoughtful review of the revolutionary struggle manifested in Egypt up to this point. I definitely agree with the headline, and believe that Egyptians will be forced by circumstances to be willing to "die for it".

I see this struggle as a process, a trial by fire that ordinary Egyptians are confronted with. Of course, a new equilibrium could theoretically be attained under the control of the Egyptian military, the regional power of the Empire; but I think that this is unlikely. It is unlikely because the Empire and its rule is extremely unstable at this point in history. Thus the subplot of resistance to Empire control in Egypt cannot, in my opinion, attain any kind of stability even with the overwhelming military power of SCAF backed by the Empire and its crony Medieval allies in the region.

Therefore, a trial by fire will be unavoidable for Egyptians as well as many others in the region. They will be forced by the onslaught of economic and political chaos to learn not only who their real enemies are, but how to effectively combat them in order to secure their very survival. I fear for their future. It is not a future that I would wish on anyone, but history will have its way. Hopefully, in this terrible process they will also learn how to construct an inclusive, sustainable democratic society.