Thursday, November 22, 2007

The question of Virginity

Our culture bestows on us that women are second degree creatures, not only by men but even some women themselves (I know many women who strongly believe that they are nothing without thier husbands because they are women and they even deliver the same concept to their children) So it is logic that the upper creature has more privilage than the lower one. As a matter of fact, this privilage includes many things that are related to sex, a man is so proud to show his sexual preferences to everyone, he has the right to talk about which women he likes and why, watching TV he can comment that this woman is sexy, and so on, while a girl usually keeps these comments to herself or her friends. Our society does not look at a man who sleeps with women outside marriage in the same way it looks at women who do the same. Similarly, a man can have a girlfriend and considered normal by his family, mothers are very proud to see their sons with girls while their reaction will be dramatic if she discovers her daughter is seeing someone. although religion does not separate in such things. Apart from sex, something like smoking, people get shocked to see women smoking while a smoking man is something u never stop at, although scientifically there is no difference, smoking harms both equally. a man is allowed to go out with his friends and stay out late while a girl should be home by 9 or 10 because she is a girl. An the list is endless. Virginity is complicated in our culture, it encompasses many things, among which: 1-Some men see it a sign of chastity, because a girl is either a virgin or not and if she's not a virging you can never tell if she has been with 1, 10, 100, 1000 men. 2-A non virgin means that she has some experience in sex, most men do not like that because this means the woman can identify if he's good or bad while with a virgin wouldn't be able to tell. 3-Of course the "I am the first" pride, that feeds the male ego. 4-A virgin gives a sense of security to the man that she will never betray him after marriage. Virginity is a representative of the honour of a whole family. Most men deal with women as sexual objects, while men are not, as if women have no desire, so the woman has to be covered while a very good looking man is not requested to hide his beauty, although the story of Joseph the prophet proves that men can be a source of sexual attraction to the point that the ladies cut their hands. A funny thing, our language has a word that describes a sexually attractive woman (Mozza) but there is no equivalent word for men :)

Monday, November 19, 2007

Of Life and People!

Isn't it really a cruel Life! We're supposed t live it without having the free will to leave it when we feel we've had enough. And we're forced to prevent ourselves from doing bad things and fight this evil that is a very basic part of human nature. And even if you did manage to fight it and stay good, you're forced to deal with it in other people, beacause you don't have another choice! And after all the bad experience you might have come through, you're supposed to stay good and clean from any stains that life might leave in you. And you're not supposed to end up confused, or to loose your mind or even your faith. Isn't it really a cruel Life?

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Drowned youth while escaping to Europe!

I totally sympathize with these youth trying to escape from Egypt in an illegal way, I actually find it logic given the situation in our country. Those people are really in seek of a better life, and here I mean better with their own definition, not a better car, a bigger apartment in some luxurious area or not a better job that pays few thousands more. Actually with my own definition, they were seeking a life so to start. I don't see them as criminals or as regarded by our Mofty as guilty (I think there are more guilty people up there, but who dares talk about them) I don't think we can judge an action after cutting it from the context, just look at the whole picture, read on their backgrounds and their social level, both financially and mentally, it's everybody's right to develop and have a better life, akeed we are not here to have a daily life that is nothing but constant suffering, starting from the moment you open your eyes untill you get back to bed, assuming that you can sleep in the first place. bad jobs, very low quality of life, bad food, unhealthy atmosphere, absolutley no service, and the list can go till tomorrow.... . I don't see those young men as lazy people who want it the easiest way, not at all, if they were lazy they would have never thought of any advancement and they would have thanked God for what they have no matter how bad and little it is. I think concepts of Reda and kana3a and if u don't do what u like like what u do and such nice soothing and calming words lost their effect and really start to sound ridiculous. Egypt is moving, literally falling down, I mean it, just look around you and see what there is not what you want to see, the country is moving, I totally agree, isn't falling down a kind of movement. If you stop whatever you are doing right now and just spend few minutes looking around you, you will see it, if you want to. Politics, Government and religious authority that lost its effect and constantly making fool of itself, and effectively confusing people who are already confused enough. Why would anyone stick to such life and not seek escape anywhere that seems better, and what is better than Europe? Just simply look at them and look at us... And by the way, based on my OWN experience in several European countries, the myths of racism, coldness, harsh life ceased to exist, exactly like the legends of gad3ana and shahama are disappearing. My job in research and product development makes me constantly get updated with innovations all over the world and in all fields. My God, we are no where, literally NO WHERE! I see these people very similar to Joseph K., the character in Franz Kafka's "The Trial" who found himself in prisoned and charged by a crime that he doesn't know, but unlike Joseph, those prisoners who were imprisoned without any crime did something hoping it will be the way of escape, I totally sympathise with them and I don't see tham as criminals at all, give people a life that suits human beings and then see if they will stay or escape before judging the actions in this very childish way.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

The Old Window

Sleeping streets and houses in darkness and silence all alone with the memory of a lost love looking through an old window Do you remember my dear old window when I first tasted that love with an enchanting eye contact and a heavenly touch why did we choose to love why did we choose to part and how did we forget that easily what we swore to be faithful for Now you're calling my name and I'm calling yours untill the longing fades away and disappears with what is meant to be I know that our dreams got lost in our days and my feelings are meaningless now how did we part for years and walk in separate ways and how did we give away our passion in a blink of an eye Now you're calling my name and I'm calling yours till the longing fades away and disappears with what is meant to be Sleeping streets and houses in darkness and silence all alone with the memory of a lost love looking through an old window An Egyptian song that I translated

Alexander The Great

Yesterday I had a very nice chance to watch the BBC documentary about Alexander the great and I was really impressed. The films was shot in real locations starting from his Birth place in Macedonia/Greece till his end in Babylon. It was a wonderful opportunity to trace the footsteps of this great man who really changed history and affected humanity in an incomparable way. Alexander is one of the most controversial characters in history, regarded as a brave warrior, an insatiable conqueror, a magnificent king, a patriotic citizen, a civilization builder, a devil, a horned beast, a heartless fighter, a brilliant planner, a down to earth leader, an emotional human, an egotist, a homosexual, a challenger and the list of names is endless.... I'm not surprised why uptill now Alexander still evokes this passion to study him and trace his footsteps, movies are still made about his short life (he died at the age of 33) and books are still written about his glory, people may agree or disagree on whether he was good or bad, but no one denies that he was a great man, no body can. Alexander conquered the world in 8 years and immortalized his name in history by his own footsteps, nothing stopped him from creating his glory marching with his army through the vast deserts of Egypt, the deep waters of Lebanon, the merciless warriors of Persia, the scary mountains of Afghanistan and the dangerous jungles of India. For the first time in history, a kingdom was created encompassing Greece in the north, Egypt in the west and China in the east. Historians believe he conquered all the known inhabited land at his time, he literally owned the world. What else could we expect from a man who knew no words as pessimism or weakness or retreat, a single minded approach he never changed in his life. Humanity owes a lot to this great man and we as Egyptians should thank him for Alexandria, that immortal magical city that has the first and biggest library in the world, and the light house that is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, an international university that changed the world and a cultural center that never ceased to to emit its light to mankind. Yesterday's movie was really absorbing and the idea of seeing the places where he literally walked with his army was breath taking, extremely different ways people see him was a thought provoking issue that still occupies my mind, the eternal question about any leader, a God or a Devil? I believe neither, a leader is still a man, human being, goods and bads, great works and mistakes, who said a leader has to be any of both? I recommend two important and extremely controversial works related to this event: 1- Adventure story, a play by the British playwrite Sir Terence Rattigan (1911-1977), unlike most of the works about Alexander, it has a very strong theme of spirituality, a totally new aspect of Alexander's character and an indication that his journey all over the world was with the aim of becoming a God. 2- Alexander, Oliver Stone's film that was made in 2004, starring Colin Farrel as Alexander with brilliant perfomance and also starring Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie and Val Kilmer in brand new roles. the film costed 155 Million US Dollars and was shot in London, Malta, Morocco, India and the Himalayas. The film focuses on the human side as well as the warrior in Alexander's character with special focus on his bisexuality and his relationship with his male friend and lover Hephaistion and his Persian wife Roxan. The film created a lot of controversy and was fought against mainly by the Greeks who refused that their great leader was shown as a homosexual and the Iranians who didn't like the scenes showing the defeat of the Persian army. I end this very long post with word that still rings in my mind, said by Michael Wood, the adventurer who was following the footsteps of Alexander, he said "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" Very true!!!

Friday, November 09, 2007

The game is on again A lover or a friend A big thing or a small The winner takes it all ABBA

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

A definition for Love!

I don't think we can define love by words, a spoken language will never be able to describe or give an exact definition for love, love is feelings and feelings are made to be felt not described or defined by words. Languages might be able to bring us close to the meaning but will never be able to define love.

Monday, November 05, 2007

A New Start

Some people believe they're able to forget their past, bury it, and just start anew. Well, I think this could be possible but it all depends on how this past was and what does it have that we want to hide or bury? Was it a hurt we have or give? Painful experience we passed through or made people pass through? Were we wrong or have we been wronged? All people make mistakes and God is there to forgive and give other chances, but what if the price of the mistake we did was paid by someone else, could the mistakes of the past be forgiven when this person is still suffering because of our mistakes? An Egyptian proverb says "He who forgets his past is lost" I believe it is from the past that you can have an idea about the future...

Sunday, November 04, 2007

What books should we read?

"I think we ought to read only the kind of books that wound and stab us...We need the books that affect us like a disaster, that grieve us deeply, like the death of someone we loved more than ourselves, like being banished into forests far from everyone, like a suicide. A book must be the axe for the frozen sea inside us" Franz Kafka

The Metamorphosis

"When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin" With this simple, bizarre and shocking sentence Kafka starts his most famous work, The Metamorphosis. Through this strange and unlogic transfiguration of a human being, Kafka opens the door wide for an unlimited flow of thoughts and questions. Many people said they would start up their life again as an insect if they were in Samsa's place, others preferred to commit suicide. But isn't it worth thinking? The story is very short, about 55 pages but quite profound in a shocking way, as all Kafka's works, the themes of melancholy, negativity, loss and heistation are very obvious in this book that people either hate or love, I even heard yesterday from a friend that the whole story is a bout "a cockroach who died", isn't it amazing how people perceive the same thing in totally different ways? On Wednesday October 31st, twelve young people were gathering in a very nice restaurant in Mohandesseen discussing the book, learning more about Kafka's life and sharing many of his quotes. If you had the chance to see them, you would have seen a small man in his twenties talking passionately and discussing the book and Kafka's life. Had it been possible for people to see inside each other, you would have seen inside him a mixture of contradictory feelings. You could agree or disagree whether the book is good or bad, but you could never miss the passion in his voice and eyes, although he was trying hard to hide his tears when he was talking about Kafka's end dying alone in Vienna after a long struggle with tuberculosis. I finally did it, after about 20 years of reading The Metamorphosis for the first time, I was there discussing it and sharing my passion for Kafka with most of the closest persons to me including my little sister Salma. Don't we agree with Kafka when he said: "By believing passionately in something that still does not exist, we create it. The non-existent is whatever we have not sufficiently desired"