Egypt

Egypt is free.
It's not the fact of their freedom I find beautiful (that should be a given for all people.) What I find beautiful is that it was the people who made a difference. No war. No killing. Just their voices.
Not only was this not a violent uprising but it showed, more than anywhere else in the world, that everyone can be peaceful in pursuit of a common good despite any differences they may have.
The rich and the poor were all in this together. They cleaned their streets themselves to keep the country they were fighting for worth having after it was all over.
The most amazing thing to come from it all, despite what fox news and other reactionary; fear-mongering types might try to convince you of, is that it had nothing to do with religion. Not only that but the people were sure to announce to the world that they were one as Egyptians no matter what their religion was.
Their are many lessons to be learnt from the Egyptians over the past few weeks. About social justice, honour, bravery and fortitude, but the main lesson is of brotherhood.
You can't help but feel ashamed as a westerner when you see images of Christians protecting Muslims at prayer or Muslims protecting Christians at Mass when you look at our record of tolerance in our countries.
Even the word "tolerance" is ugly. Someone of a different religion isn't to be "tolerated" they should just be. The way everyone else is.
Of course there are always extremists, there are extremists in every religion and every way of thinking, but that doesn't mean everyone is the same.
On this, the first day of the new free Egypt it's time we started being proud of ourselves as people. Christian, Arab, Muslim, Jew. We're all people and this is everyone's world.