حسن اختيار العلاقات

من كام سنة كده دار حوار بينى وبين واحدة صاحبتى طيبة قوى ومخلصة قوى ودمها خفيف قوى وهادية قوى….الحوار ده حصل من سنين طويلة، أيام ما كنت لسة عبيطة. كنت أيامها فاكرة إن لما حد يكون كويس مع الناس لازم هم كمان يبقوا كويسين، وإن الناس ما بتبقاش عدوانية إلا لما إحنا نبتدى الأول. الحوار دار بينى وبينها فى فترة طلاقها وكان كالآتى:

 

سماء:

معقولة؟ انت تتطلقى؟ ده مافيش حد فى الدنيا بيسهّل الدنيا زيك، ولا واحدة بتحول أى مشكلة لهزار وضحك وتحتوى الموقف مهما كان سخيف أو متوتر زيك. لما انت تتطلقى أمّال البنات النكدية بقى يحصل لهم إيه؟!!!

 

صاحبتى:

 ما هو يا سماء لما انت تبقى كل شغلتك إنك تحاولى تهَدّى وتسهّلى الحياة على قد ما تقدرى عشان المركب تمشى وفى نفس الوقت الطرف التانى كل شغلته إنه يصعّبها ويعقّدها، بتبقى الحياة بينكم مستحيلة.

 

وبعد كده قرأت مقولة حلوة قوى: “من الغباء إن حد يفتكر إن الحيوان الكاسر مش حيفترسنى لمجرد إن أنا مش فى نيتى إنى أفترسه”. وساعتها أدركت إن ما يكفيش إنك تكون طيب عشان تعرف تعيش، لكن لازم توقف المفترى عند حده.

 

صاحبتى دى كانت عندها بنت صغيرة قوى، وما فيش كام شهر من طلاقها، الحمد لله ربنا رزقها بإنسان رائع، قدّرها وقدّر بنتها وعامل البنت أحسن من والدها، وبعد كده ربنا رزقهم بأطفال تانية يجننوا 🙂 صاحبتى اتقت الله وحاولت تصلح، فربنا أكرمها، أما بقى اللى كان بيتلكك عشان يفتعل أى موقف ويرمى اللوم عليها، وكانت نيته سودة ومؤذى، ربنا انتقم منه.

 

فيه ناس كده فى الدنيا، مهما كانت نيتك فى الإصلاح والتهدئة، هم بيصعّدوا ويقفلوا عليك أى باب ممكن منه تتراحم معاهم أو تلتمس لهم أعذار. للأسف الشديد!  

 

الموضوع ده زى ما له دلالات اجتماعية فى الجواز زى ما له دلالات على أنماط السلوك البشرى فى العمل والصداقة وكمان فى السياسة. فمن الذكاء اختيار مين اللى نعمل معاه مصالحة ومين اللى لازم يخرج من حياتنا للأبد عشان حياتنا تعمر. مش حل أبداَ الاستمرار فى علاقة فاشلة أيا كانت العلاقة دى.

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What death really means

In less than one month, I lost my friend, Marianna, and my friend’s son, John Ashby Hargrove, as well as two professors in my School: Dr. Kamal El Monoufy and Dr. Manal Metwally. Egypt lost the great activist poet, Ahmed Fouad Negm, and the world lost the inspirational leader and peacemaker, Nelson Mandella. 

May they all rest in peace.

This teaches me a great lesson:

Death is only an extension of your role in life. I learned a lot from the testimonials that everyone is writing about these people. So they are still “giving”, but in a different sense. Life is about giving not taking. You will be eternal in the hearts of those who benefited from you; were loved, helped, or inspired by you; or learned something from you. You will not be eternal if you keep taking and stacking what you take.

When I die, this is what I want people to remember me with. I hope they will also forgive me for anything bad I have done.

Cairo Fire: Messages from history

In January 1952, there was the first Cairo Fire. All Cairo was set to fire and nobody knew who did it then. The fire set yesterday by the Muslim Brotherhood and their allies in almost all Cairo (and the rest of Egypt this time) looks exactly like the memories of 1952 that I have watched in movies before. Yesterday’s fires and shooting of churches, police stations, Molotov, guns and weapons collected from the MB’s sit-ins…etc can shed light on some evidence about who committed exactly the same crime in 1952, but this of course needs further judicial investigation and proof. That time, the fire was set to get rid of the King. This time, the fire is set for a very similar reason, power seeking. But the good news is that after 1952, the King left power but the MB did not succeed in taking over power, and then Egypt started one of its strongest phases of its modern history. 

What happened in Egypt yesterday was a threat repeated clearly and frankly over and over again by the leaders of the MB in recorded media and videos. They always mentioned that they will burn Egypt in case they don’t take office in 2012 and then in case they are kicked out of office on June 30th, 2013. Egyptians are ready to pay the very high, but inevitable, price of getting rid of the continuous blackmailing of many parties, including MB. This price had to be paid sooner or later, it was just postponed one year since 2012 elections. 

Despite all the blood and mourning sweeping Egypt these days, I strongly believe that this is another reincarnation phase of our Great Civilization. 

To all my friends all over the world who are concerned and who asked about my safety, THANK YOU and don’t worry. We are fighting for a cause and for making history. History-making is very expensive, and we are used to paying a high price every several decades and such a very high price like this one every few centuries. God bless you all and bless Egypt.

على هامش خطاب الرئيس المرتقب النهاردة:

من المتحف الزراعى لميدان لبنان قبل العصر ب45 دقيقة فى عز نقحة الشمس، ولا تاكسى راضى يقف والطريق زى ما انتو راسيين. فى لحظة عبقرية من الزمن لقيت ميكروباص ما فيهوش ولا حد واقف. استبشرت خير ونطيت فيه برغم إنه مش رايح ميدان لبنان ويمكن أضطر أكملها مشى نص ساعة (وده اللى حصل فعلا)، بس قلت لنفسى “وماله، حاركبه” (على وزن: الشوربة فيها حاجات بتمشى، بس حاشربها). وتكتمل النعمة الإلهية إنى لقيت فيه كرسى واحد بس فاضى. قلت “يا فرج الله!!! عالم بالحال”. القصد، الراديو كان شغال وف لحظة المذيع جاب سيرة “د.باكينام الشرقاوى مساعد رئيس الجمهورية”. أنا بصراحة ما اهتمتش أسمع الباقى. اللى عجبنى ولفت انتباهى، صوت شاب اخترق تأملى فى الناس اللى راكبة اللى كلها وشها أحمر مزنهر وعمالة تمسح من عليه العرق، والانتظار القاتل للعجل اللى بيلف نص لفة ويقف شوية، فكرنى بمحمد صبحى فى المسرحية (أنا جاى، أنا بس بامشى فى الجزمة الأول). لقيت الشاب ده بيقول للى جنبه: “ما هو لو يعرف إن الخطابات دى هى اللى بتهيج الناس أكتر” وسكت. التفتت لقيتهم شابين قاعدين فى آخر صف، ملامحهم مصرية جدا ووشهم شايخ من الهم برغم شبابهم، أعمارهم فى منتصف العشرينات. شكلهم مؤدب جدا ومحترم. لقيت اللى بيتكلم ده ساند دراعينه على ضهر الكرسى اللى قدامه بمنتهى الملل وبيتكلم بمنتهى الهدوء والرقى والعفوية فى نفس الوقت من غير تعقيد ولا فلسفة. الولد كان جد جدا ومهموم جدا، بس أنا استمخيت منه ع الآخر وكل ما أفتكر جملته المقتضبة الموجزة البليغة أبتسم. صحيح، الناس ما بقاش بينضحك عليها. عمار يا مصر!

 

رحلة النوبة وقرى التهجير

لسة راجعة من زيارة تطوع لمشروع تنموى فى مدينة أسوان و 3 قرى نوبية، منهم 2 من قرى التهجير،

من عند الحيطان اللى متعلق عليها يفط إعلانات قوائم انتخابات الحرية والعدالة كتير جدا ويافطة واحدة للوفد…متقطعة ومش باين منها غير اسم الحزب طشاش….،

من قلب الناس المطحونة اللى ما حدش من المعارضة سامعهم ولا معبّرهم، واللى الحكومة بتلعب بيهم وتوعدهم وما تعملش حاجة بجد وتلبس البنات الصغيرة لبس العيد عشان التشريفة واستقبال الوزير وضيوفه،

واللى الحرية والعدالة بتبعت لهم قافلة طبية يوم 25 يناير بالذات (بس عشان الحق يتقال أهى بعتت وغيرها مش معبّرهم)، واللى حزب الوسط باعت لهم وفد يقابل الأهالى يوم 24 يناير.

عرفتوا دلوقتى ليه الناس دى بتأيد مرسى والحرية والعدالة والوسط؟ هم ما بيحبوهمش باستماتة ولا حاجة زى ما كنا متصورين، بس هم دول اللى شايفينهم.

عرفتوا الشغل الحقيقى فين يا رجال الشجب والتنديد والوعيد اللى عمره ما حيفيد؟ يا رجال المؤتمرات القاهرية اللى مش عايزين يعفّروا رجليهم اللى عليها نقش الحنة؟

على فكرة، الناس دى قلبها أبيض وطلباتها بسيطة، والبلاد دى بترحب بأى حد وكل حد، وعندهم استعداد كبير يسمعوا ويعقلوا ويتناقشوا بمنطق أكتر من أى حد من اللى فى القاهرة أو فى الأماكن البرّاقة، بس مين اللى بيكلّف خاطره ويروح، ومين اللى يستاهل ياخد ثقتهم؟؟؟!!!!

Be positive: Inspire others

I received a long message today from one of my female ex-students who graduated some 6 or 7 years ago and whom I met accidentally last November 19th during the “Women’s Mentorship Walk, Cairo” event.

Her message started as follows:

“I am writing to you to share very good news with you which you take credit for because HONESTLY B AMANA YOU INSPIRED ME since that day when I met you by coincidence…”

and ended as follows: “Was very excited to come back home and write to you to share the news with you.”

This mentorship walk was only two months ago; i.e. almost 8 years since I had taught this young lady when she was a sophomore in college. But still, there was a strong connection between us although we never talked or met during those 8 years. I was so proud to see how successful she has become and see how happy she was when she saw me. We talked a little bit and shared contacts. I told her about my work and studies and she did the same. She was not excited to do post-graduate studies until she met me that day. And now, her good news is that she is in the process of applying to the top universities in the world for an MBA.

Apart from this lovely meeting I had, this mentorship walk was a memorable day in my life. I volunteered a whole day to be a mentor to younger women and attend public lectures by other inspiring and successful women who also volunteered their time for the benefit of other women. It was a whole lot of positive energy and a great networking event. That day, I felt that we can do ANYTHING we want if we just believed in it.

Even if this is the only thing you can do in your life, INSPIRING others and helping them reach their potential and find their way, then your life is worthy. Be positive wherever you go, in whatever you do, with whomever you meet. Make a difference in people’s lives. Believe me, it is a joy you can never know until you try it for yourself, but it will make you alive again especially when you receive such a message at a time of despair or depression.

By doing so, you can practice motherhood even if you don’t have kids. You can do so much by just making someone happy or content with what she does. Your life will be lightened up by the sparkle of hope that you can create in someone’s eyes by a piece of advice or an idea that brings scattered pieces in their lives together. You can feel loved by those you help even if you are alone. This can only be done if you think about others… If you care, share, love, and give.

My dear young lady xxxx, you made my day and revitalized me by your message!! I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors.

Responsibility and Responsiveness: Two Sides of the Same Coin

Citizenship and governance are like love and physics laws; for them to flourish, they should be created by a balance of two forces: the first requires wise action that is based on RESPONSIBILITY and the second is re-action called RESPONSIVENESS.

The two parties should alternate between both roles and the first should take the second into consideration before and while taking the action. This is more or less what Aristotle has written in his book “Politics” when he described the “telios”.

Unfortunately, governments might think that they have the power, absolute power, and they have the right to issue orders all the time without taking into consideration their constituencies. Moreover, people might think that the government should do everything that suits them without having any authority. This clash can end up destroying the whole political system.

I thought of this because of a story that happened to me today: I found a leaking faucet today in my sports club. I immediately went to the person in charge of maintenance and reported. The person immediately called the plumber. I felt ownership to the place for which I pay money, and respect to the people in charge. I had to act to be a good citizen/member of the club, and the man had to respond to be a good manager. It is all about everyone doing their roles in life to the best of their ability.