The utopian image that the revolution has drawn of Egyptians is gradually showing shades of reality, writes Gihan Shahine The 25 January Revolution which toppled Egypt's regime and inspired the world with its grandiose, peaceful approach has not yet ended the daily hardships of Shams, a 35-year-old housekeeper. But the young optimist can feel a subtle change in her life that is ultimately drawing a smile on her tired face. She now has something she did not have only a few weeks ago: hope. Shams says she is not alone in her sentiments. "I can see many people are now less strained, and perhaps behaving more politely," she told Al-Ahram Weekly. "I can definitely see positive change in the people and in myself. Perhaps it is the older generation that has not changed much." Shams says the public bus she takes on her way to work everyday has now been turned into a platform for political discussion. "People are now more politically oriented and they are no longer afraid to talk," she said. "Young passengers would now give up their seats for elderly people, sexual harassment has significantly dropped and people are generally frowning less. If someone throws litter, others ask him not to because it's time we change. But perhaps it's the older generation that is most resistant to change." Shams, who never cared about politics, is now more positive. Not just because she joined the masses during the revolution. She was also excused from work to cast her ballot in the recent referendum on constitutional amendments and hurried to buy a LE100 share in the stock market in response to national calls to save the bourse from a possible collapse. For the first time ever, Shams feels she belongs, that she is doing something "for my country". Shams is perhaps a living example of the findings of a recent survey by the Cabinet-affiliated Information and Decision Support Centre (IDSC). The report, titled Egyptian People's Revolution. Inspiring the World concluded that the revolution provided a good example of the ethics and resilience of the Egyptian people. The fact that protesters maintained the peaceful nature of their revolution, while remaining relentless in their demands, inspired the rest of the world, according to the report. "The revolution also revealed the cohesion of the Egyptian people, quelling attempts to foment sectarian strife," the report said. The report also noted that a sense of nationalism and loyalty to the country was revived in the people, mentioning the launch of several clean-up campaigns and initiatives aimed at rebuilding Egypt and promoting positive behaviour as cases in point. "The revolution rediscovered the Egyptian youth, negating the stereotype that young people suffer from a weak sense of belonging to the country, and lack a clear vision for the future," the report concluded. The utopian community of Tahrir has, indeed, dazzled the world with its selfless attitude, unity, persistence, and ability to organise. Drugs, sexual harassment and sectarian rifts found no space in Tahrir Square, dubbed by the international media as the bastion of freedom, where people were united for the love of their country, busied with an honest fight for liberty, not just of their country, but also of their souls and minds and all the negative attitudes that repression and despair have dictated over the past decades. The clean-up campaign of the square that took place in the aftermath of the revolution, engaging Egyptians of all ages and classes, further dazzled the world as a no less perfect civil ending to a perfect civil revolution. But, in the wake of the revolution, the spirit of togetherness is starting to give way to negative social aspects. To many, the future remains largely foggy, and this has reflected on the public mood. Mixed feelings of bewilderment, fear, hope, frustration and despondence are producing emotional highs and lows. There is a serious economic problem, sectarian rifts have resurfaced, the unprecedented rise of Islamists is causing social turmoil, and the prevalence of thugs and a marked rise in crime are worrying everybody. This has normally reflected on the people, and if the recent survey by the daily independent Al-Masry Al-Yom is anything to go by, there is a long way to go before Egyptians change. The survey spots public misconduct in traffic, and refers to the prevalence of crime and debris as signs that Egyptians have yet to change. Veteran sociologist Samir Naim warns that these signs should be seen as a by-product of a counter-revolution orchestrated by members of the former regime which, he insists "are still governing Egypt". Many agree with Naim that the proliferation of thugs and the sudden rise of Islamists at this point in history are all part of a plan by the former regime to make people regret what happened and yearn for the good old days when they, at least, enjoyed security. "Egyptians proved in the rev olution that they have a miraculous latent power for change, but conditions are impeding this power and inherent positive qualities from surfacing," Naim explained. Naim's logic is that people's behaviour change according to social circumstances. That is, he said, you cannot blame someone for breaking traffic laws in the absence of any regulations or ask people to be decent when bread is unavailable or when they have to stand in long queues to get it. "Up till now," lamented Naim, "many members of the former regime are still in their posts and are visibly impeding any political or economic progress." Meanwhile, Naim added, "the government has not come up with a single plan to tackle any of the social ailments inflicting society. Not a single national initiative was declared to combat poverty, reduce prices, solve income discrepancies, fight unemployment, solve traffic problems -- nothing at all." This significant political and economic lag, together with the absence of security, have created concern and bewilderment about a future that remains largely unclear. The fact that no concrete steps have been taken to return the money that was looted by the former regime, has also set off public ire, perhaps leaving its deepest marks on the lower and lower-middle strata of society, whose livelihood has been seriously affected by the revolution. Fadia, a hairdresser, is one. Fadia is frustrated the revolution has only made her life harder. The shop where she works is unable to pay salaries. But what angers Fadia most is the sense of insecurity she feels due to the proliferation of thugs and crime in the rundown neighbourhood where she lives. "Can you imagine I always have to hold scissors in my hands for self-defence on my way back home late at night after work?" Fadia complained. "Things are going from bad to worse. Look at how traffic is becoming increasingly irregular and the amount of garbage that litters the streets." Psychiatrist Ayman Ammar speculates that most of the negative behavioural aspects we see on the streets today are prevalent among the lower and lower middle strata of society who still have their basic needs unmet. "It is in the middle and upper middle strata of society that hope for a better future prevails and signs of positive change show in the form of more political participation and a sense of belonging." The recent referendum on constitutional amendments, which witnessed an unprecedented participation of voters and where no incidence of violence or rigging occurred, is added proof of those positive signs of change. But in all cases, Ammar noted, "we exaggerated our expectations when we thought that all Egyptians changed after the revolution." After all, Ammar insists, "people cannot change overnight and those who joined the protests represented part -- definitely not all -- of the population. "Those who are seen as acting negatively are probably not the same people who led the peaceful revolution that inspired the world or those who engaged in clean-up campaigns," Ammar elaborated. As a psychiatrist, Ammar would immediately explain the utopian experience of Tahrir Square in the larger context of the "ethics of revolutions and crises." "People normally act positively and unite in times of adversity and when they have a grand cause they are ready to die for," he explained. "It is a basic human instinct." To sustain this positive spirit of the revolution, however, both Ammar and Naim insist some concrete steps must be taken on the ground. The two suggest that the government could launch a big national project that would engage youths, utilise their capabilities, and strengthen their sense of belonging, uniting them for a common mass cause. For now, however, Naim is satisfied with the "unchangeable" behavioural gains thus far attained, which, he insists, "still far outweigh attitudes like breaking traffic laws." "Egyptians have, forever, broken the barrier of fear, not just of the former regime, but also of all kinds of authority over minds and thought," Naim said. "They proved they have persistence, a sense of patriotism, political awareness and are civil by nature."
