In search of wisdom...

To begin with, I do not want you guys to assume anything or may be reach to any conclusion. This post is based on the experiences of my friend who is an Egyptian living in Nairobi since last 2 years. Just like his fellow Egyptians, he also abhorred Hosni Mubarak to the core for whatever injustice he did to the whole nation. He even told me an instance when Hosni Mubarak's wife actually called up the Cairo Museum (which houses some of the most exquisite and precious jewelery ever) and asked them to give her one of the necklaces from the museum so that she could wear it in a party. Obviously the museum's manager never asked it back and Mrs. Mubarak never bothered to return it. Wow! The luxury of 'RULING' a country, that too Egypt.


Anyways, coming back to doing justice with this blog's title, here are some of the facts that my dear friend told me about 'life in Egypt' after the debacle of Hosni Muabrak-

1. The internal law and order has deteriorated so much in the country that more than 35,000 cars have been stolen in the last 2 months.

2. A second hand Toyota Corolla which used to cost them around $5000 earlier, costs them nearly $28,000

3. I am taking the liberty to repeat the exact words of my friend here, "Earlier the shopkeepers were very friendly and there was a lot of room for discussions (Negotiations) but now they just tell you, take it or leave it. A shopkeeper even cried in front of me saying, 'its 5pm and I haven't sold anything since morning, what do I take home with me?'. Now the shopkeepers and vendors are scared to keep their shop open after 5 pm because they think once its dark, someone might come and loot their hard earned money."

4. This one is more of a democratic problem for them. Christians who are a minority in Egypt (Close to 5%) are now demanding that the 'Egyptians' (read Muslims) be thrown out of the country and Christians should take control. Problems that democracy brings along with it.

5. The Muslim radicals who during the reign of Hosni Mubarak were never given a platform to voice out their opinions, are coming out loud and aggressive with their demand that 'Women should not be allowed to work'. Not only this, their bigger demand is so outrageous and audacious that I would mention it as a separate point down here.

6. They want the 'Pyramid Area' to be banned for public viewing. Why? Because of sculptures like Sphinx. As per the Islamic Ideology, Idol worshiping is forbidden and some of the Islamic scholars took this rule to another level by banning Idols completely for Muslims. So sculptures which represents any living being should be veiled according to them.

7. A normal 3 feet sheesha (Hookah) which he used to buy for $4 around 8 months back is now being sold for $20 because the factories are closing day by day and supply is less.

8. Since January 2011, the govt has changed 11 times.

9. A room (bed & breakfast) in a 5 star hotel which used to cost close to $180, now costs $35 ONLY. This rate is for Cairo as I am not aware of Sharm al Sheikh and other areas. However, based on the reduced rates don't even think of making a plan to visit Egypt. The situation is really bad.

As I said in the beginning, I am not an expert when it comes to International politics and these are some of the points that I picked up from the conversation that I had with my friend, However it is important to note that sometimes it is very dangerous to tamper with the ecosystem. I recently saw a sci-fi movie called 'In-Time' in which the assumed villain says, 'For some to be immortal, many have to die and if you ever try to change this balance, everyone would die'. I don't want to be politically incorrect here but I guess its actually true that sometimes the balance between the powerful and weak needs to be maintained for the whole ecosystem to be in harmony. May be I am wrong? May be I am confused? but all in all, its a thought to be explored.