In the light of new developments a year after the revolution, Jailan Halawi wonders about the morals that govern Egyptian attitudes to life I always took pride in being Egyptian. It was simply not because Egypt is the oldest and richest civilisation in the history of humanity, nor due to the abundance and variety of its nature and heritage sites. This pride emanated as much as anything else from the warmth and friendliness of its people. Since childhood I've had the good fortune to travel all around the world and when at one point I ended up living in one of the richest countries in North America I could not survive longer than three months away from home. Within a year I was back and well settled in the one place where I was sure I belonged. Once, a British friend asked if I ever wished to relocate to a more ordered, less overpopulated and polluted place �ê" with safer, less noisy streets and drivers who respect traffic lights. "Of course," I said. "But only if that place could be Egypt." I went on to explain how there is something about Egypt which, once you have it inside you, never fades. And while its heritage gives it a genuine mystique, its people remain its real flavour. No other people have the same warmth, hospitality and friendliness �ê" at least this is how I see it. Unlike elsewhere, if you have a blunder in Egypt, passersby will rush to help you. Women and the elderly have a special share of respect. Friends are available for your support all the time, and family still ranks first. But alas, all this seems increasingly at stake. Egyptian values seem to be changing in frightening way, or shall I say the moral system that makes Egyptians so special is about to go extinct unless a quick fix is sought? Ever since the 25 January revolution, the rate of aggression seems to have escalated dramatically on all levels and all across the class spectrum. Everywhere people are fighting violently over trivial matters. And while considered a major taboo in the past for a man to insult a woman, let alone publicly, it is now not uncommon. Quarrels are erupting everywhere, and the young especially are on edge. Last week I saw a group of male friends fighting among themselves, using the most language imaginable, at one of Cairo's mega shopping malls. The scene turned frightening when one of them took off his belt in a bid to show how ready he was. The poor security man who attempted to intervene got a lash of the belt, but then suddenly the fight ended and the young men made a peaceful exist amid the awe struck shoppers. Mothers do not feel safe about letting their children, boys or girls, take a taxi alone. And, with the latest wave of crimes of all sorts, ranging from armed robbery and highway holdups to abduction, one is no longer sure how to perceive society. I believe Egypt is still safer than elsewhere, yet when my husband speaks of considering a licensed gun as a matter of precaution, I no longer object. Yet who should be blamed for this mess? Some people believe it is the chaos generated in the wake of the revolution and the security breakdown that has led to such a downfall. Yet academics and intellectuals believe otherwise. Indeed the revolution broke the barrier of fear for many of the poor and the downtrodden, making long hidden aggression surface. But such change of attitude is in fact the outcome of 60 long years prior to it happening. Major changes took place in Egyptian society over the past 60 years, transforming many values upside-down. Such change coincided with an unprecedented rate of change in the social structure with the rise of those at the bottom of the ladder and the fall of those on top. This is evident in different aspects of the social life in Egypt: from the change that occurred in the role and stance of women, the language, the music, singing, and the cinema, to religious fanaticism, Westernisation, and the way of the Egyptians celebrate weddings or spend their summer vacations, views on immigration, government versus private jobs�ê� There is also a connection between many of these facts and the phenomenon of social mobility that has spread through Egypt in past decades. As a child, my parents always stressed the importance of education as the cornerstone of a well-established personality, the one weapon of well-being that no one can take away. At home, we were raised to cherish the value of hard work. We were taught to watch our language and hushed when elders spoke, to think before we acted and never let our muscles win over reason. But such values seem to have changed and for some reason children are raised to have respect only for money and what it can buy. The pioneer psychiatrist Ahmed Okasha has said that nowadays Egyptians bring up their children on a new set of values. They tell them that hard work, honesty and sincerity do not necessarily mean they will achieve success in life. But, on the contrary, double standards, cheating and hypocrisy are the means to doing well. And with the rise of materialism came the kind of hypocrisy that forces on people a certain standard and style of living in order to be accepted in their circle. People have become so judgmental and opinionated, and with so many misconceptions on various aspects of life �ê" social, economic, political or religious �ê" that it is as if we feed on mass delusions, consuming far more than we produce even if they have to borrow over our incomes. And while the heart of religion is to be tolerant and treat each other well, many tend to concentrate on the ritual side of the faith and forget its core. Even those who claim to be liberals act militantly when discussing views that contradict their own. And while the reasons behind such terrifying transformation of values among Egyptians are many, one cannot deny that all were the outcome of years of corruption and suppression by totalitarian regimes that stripped the nation of its morals. What Egyptians are in dire need of now is a role model, a leader that rules by example and helps his nation to overcome such a bottleneck phase �ê" someone who understands that only by justice and equality will the nation rise.
