7 -13 December 2000
Issue No.511
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 7 -13 December 2000 Issue No.511 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Egyptian optimism
Egypt is both a place of optimism, laughter and comedy and a place of pain and suffering. There is also patience and faith; in fact, these qualities may exist here to a larger extent than in any other country. This is because throughout the ages Egyptians have witnessed all the major catastrophes that have afflicted humanity. They correctly intuited that these, however long they seemed to persist, were ultimately short-term. And they learned to be optimistic in the face of the adversity, for they staunchly maintained the belief that nothing is eternal, except the face of God.
Despite his unhappiness, therefore, an Egyptian is always optimistic and always filled with hope. It is the hope maintained by Sisyphus as he plods uphill again and again. If Sisyphus had no hope, he would not bother to climb, and would give up at the first setback. Even the gods never managed to rid Sisyphus of his hope.
As far as I am concerned, I feel I am more grateful than optimistic. I am thankful for the life I have lived, which is in certain ways proof of the efficacy of hope. And as for the country as a whole, I feel the future will be at least better than the present. I wish the following generations a more easier course, and more luck than ours. But being Egyptians, I am sure they too will learn to persist, learn the value of optimism, in the face of their own adversities.
Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.
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