Reflections on a Revolution

        It’s difficult to grasp the magnitude of what has happened in Tahrir Square and across Egypt over the past 18 days. The images of struggle and celebration were breathtaking. Yet attempts to analyze these events through political theory, or to attribute them to the power of social media, are woefully inadequate.

        Just what was it that caused millions of ordinary people to rise up in extraordinary acts of defiance that would normally get them killed? Or that inspired countless Egyptians to joyously declare today the best day of their life? What was it that brought professionally composed Egyptian journalists and academics to tears on live television?

        It was the triumph of the human spirit - the determination to live your life with basic dignity and freedom. Such yearnings are fundamental enough that they exist deep within the human soul, yet are elusive enough that they drive people to unimaginable feats of strength and courage.

        For the lucky few of us who are given this right at birth, it’s easy to take for granted. But what if you aren’t? What if an act as simple as saying what you feel could land you under the boots of police torturers? Or if you are forced into a state of stifling poverty because your government insists on stealing from you?

        Under those circumstances, dignity and freedom become impossible. Such was life in Egypt.

        Today Egyptians (like others before them) have broken free from the shackles of that oppression. They have stood up in unison, cast aside the darkness of fear and demanded to be heard. In doing so, victory became inevitable. A determined spirit, acting in the name of what is right, cannot be defeated.

        It was poignant and touching to see jubilant Egyptians in Tahrir Square proclaiming that, finally, they can live like human beings. This was no Facebook revolution. It was not a coup or a result of American influence. Hosni Mubarak is gone because the people yearned to be free from decades of suffocation. Young and old. Rich and poor. Muslim and Christian. Through admirable perseverance and inspirational non-violence, they have won their dignity back.

        There will be time to debate what happens next and to consider the ramifications of this revolution. But for today, Egyptians – and indeed the world – celebrate a new beginning and endless possibilities for 80 million people. They have rewritten history.

        Martin Luther King once said there is something in the soul that cries out for freedom. After decades of waiting and hoping, every Egyptian soul is now free.