In an attempt to formulate the laws
governing the movement of history, British philosopher and historian Arnold Toynbee
could deduce that the most significant of these laws is the law of challenge
and response… It’s known that he paid special attention to the study of Egypt’s
history because it is the best model verifying that law… since the Egyptians
were able to face the nature challenges and respond accordingly to them.
And so they tamed the Nile and
controlled its water, when it flooded or ran low… they also were able to distribute
its water… also, they were aware of the desert challenge coming from the east
and west… and the sea challenge coming from the north and east… and so they
responded accordingly by adjusting the relation between the river and sea… They
also realized that balanced Egypt is the cohesive strong one that is capable of
playing its role in its surroundings… they knew it long before geopolitics came
to exist.
The historical course of our country
displays the connectivity between its eras… and how Egypt was always capable of
overcoming its crises… in this regard, we have endless examples… Our ancient
ancestors realized long ago that if Egypt lost its balance, it would go weak
and dismantle… and then foreign powers would seek to control it and keep it
weak, no matter the form of this control is.
I believe most, if not all,
transformations, changes and confrontations are exceptional states lived by the
society… and if the society were not able to see its way and create means to
move from state to another, it would fall down…
Also, it’s not necessary that society
shall go through war against any foreign attack or engage in a domestic war
against terrorism or separation attempt by any group or party to say it’s in an
exceptional case… Because shifting from decline and deterioration into the
revolutionary progress we witness in science, information and production is an
exceptional case itself… Also radical changes within the society itself;
economic, social and political can represent an exceptional case.
That if we defined exception as the
situation or state that necessitate summoning all human existence criteria;
meaning energy, effort, intellect, materialistic and moral potentials to break
through this situation or state into a better situation or state… meaning to
guarantee the society is going forward on achieving welfare at normal pace… Like
the case when plane takes off… as it requires all powers at the beginning… but
once it flies and leaves the ground, it takes less power to go.
No need to say that if the society is
going through a double exceptional challenge case… meaning it’s going through
transformation state and in the same time is battling domestically not only
with armed terrorism backed by foreign powers… but also resisting and fighting
division plans and deep-rooted corruption in the society… then summoning
energy, efforts, intellect and potentials on all levels shall be doubled as
well.
Since we talk about achieving
development in exceptional circumstances, then we should ask: is it necessary
that exceptional cases are connected to exceptional measures like imposing
emergency state, public mobilization, martial laws, amending constitution, issuing
restricting laws… to the rest of those measures?... does this mean we should
restrict freedoms and reduce services as well?
The answer is that all this is
possible as long as the challenge is exceptional… but if we reconsider the
whole thing, we will find there are other more viable measures than those to
guarantee achieving progress… as it was proved that work is more viable than
emergency state and martial laws… provided that the whole national composition
of all categories; geographical, cultural, religious, sectarian and all age
groups, are aware of the circumstances and challenges faced by the nation and
the efforts needed to respond.
Only then, the development process can
start based on solid ground; that solid ground is deep awareness of all society
groups of the nature of these circumstances the nation is going through… then
explaining those circumstances to the public through mass media means… also,
through political parties and civil society organizations… in churches and
mosques… so that people would know the nation’s priorities and how they can channel
their efforts to produce proper response.
It’s well known that in order to
manage any production activity you have to provide full description of the task
and distribute roles… likewise, in comprehensive national development, you have
to fairly distribute missions and burdens… and so, those who had the chance to accumulate
fortunes in time when there was no development or state control, shall bear
their share now.
Now we inquire about the effective
deterrent that can stop anyone who wants to mess with the nation’s destiny and
who is definitely acting against the law… Here I look for another deterrent
power, more powerful than law articles … as some skillful lawyers may circumvent
the law through law gaps and absence of evidences to exonerate criminals… here I
mean the strength and influence of the collective national will within all
political, economic and social compositions nationwide… It’s the society
deterrent power that has many tools to use starting from advice and guiding
reaching to boycott and contempt… meaning to point to those criminals who
abused the country and the society.
Even if those criminals escaped legal
punishment… like the case these days as we see many of them who messed with our
country and broke the law but were exonerated due to lack of evidences… We also
saw them coming back feeling no guilt or embarrassment at all.
Finally, I want to say that achieving
development in exceptional cases is about stimulating all public compositions
on all level to do the mission after distributing tasks, roles and burdens… so
that we become all in one.
I have already written before about
the leading places or what I call the freed places… my point is that we shall
have a map with certain places spotted on it nationwide… meaning in all
governorates where we shall focus all efforts on to free them from poverty,
ignorance, diseases, all that hinders development like old bad habits and
traditions and all practices impeding progress like bureaucracy and corruption…
then we shall work hard to enlighten and deepen awareness among the people of
those places, especially youth and women… Also, we shall attract all potentials
and maintain self resources – in case they exist – and design models for
sustainable development in these freed areas starting from clean energy;
biogas, wind and sun to toxic-free organic agriculture, proper education,
medical services and all other services.
In doing so in these freed areas, they
would turn into leading places in their surroundings acting like a connected
active neural system… exactly like what happened in Florence and other Italian cities
where they acted like the advanced leading places where the Italian renaissance
started and later extended to all Europe in the European renaissance.
I wish this idea would encourage
well-off old-established families and businessmen to participate in… like Medici
family and legendary prince Lorenzo did in Florence.
Translated into English by: Dalia Elnaggar
Translated into English by: Dalia Elnaggar
This article was published in Al Ahram
newspaper on November 11, 2014.
To see the original article, go to:
#alahram #ahmed_elgammal #Egypt
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