Pondering the news from Egypt, I think--oddly--about a recent excursion to Build a Bear. When you go to one of these stores, you select an unstuffed animal; give it a heart; get it stuffed; wash it; dress it; and generate a birth certificate. Voila. A brand new bear ready to go home.
Dictators who run their own country--or try to take over the country of others--tend to act the same way. They force stuffing into the people, without regard to what the people need. They tidy everything up, so that the country looks clean and orderly. They give everyone ID cards.
The trouble is, they forget about the heart. When untended for too long, the heart finally breaks, and the people rise up. The cuddly bear is not so cuddly anymore, and it turns out to have a life of its own.
The bear that emerges from Egypt may be unrecognizable, but it will be of its own making. The sooner President Mubarak realizes this, the better for everyone.
No comments:
Post a Comment