My Take on Egypt ...

This blog is not about world affairs. It's about Dhofar. However, I feel the need to share with you my feelings on the recent events in Egypt. I cannot judge whether Mubarak was a good guy or bad guy (he's 'one' human!). It's not my country and definitely not my field of expertise. HOWEVER, Friday was a pivotal moment in the history of the world. On Friday, we were all Egyptians. Moments after Hosni Mubarak stepped down as president of Egypt (after 30 years), everyone in Salalah headed to the nearest television to see for themselves if it was true. Every television screen in all Shisha restaurants were playing Al Jazeera news channel. In fact, I'm pretty sure every television in the Arab world was on that night. I received at least 25 text messages from friends and family sharing the news. The events of the past few weeks in the Middle East have been an eye-opener for us all. Proof that power really is with the people. To hell with crappy regimes.
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I was reminded of of the amazing feeling of really understanding the meaning 'a common humanity'. Friday was one of those days when it felt great to be alive. If only for a few moments, the world stopped to relish in the beauty of such power together. Similar days for me were the fall of the Berlin Wall, the day the Chilean miners were freed, President Obama's inauguration (I just happened to be very near Washington D.C at the time!), and even Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech that I have watched and re-watched on YouTube many times. (Though not relevant, dare I add that I felt the same when Oman won the Gulf Cup in 2009?) Friday was a reminder that we cannot shut ourselves off from the world. In the end, we are all connected to one another. We are all one. And life's too short for violence, prejudice, hate, racism, etc. Life. Is. Too. Short.