Giving...

Giving to the sick, the orphaned and the desperately in need is fine.  I am asking: why not use giving as a preventive medicine? If we cement giving socially, it can become a daily habit, as natural as putting on your shoes and looking out the window. We, our kids and our community can give every day. Why wait for disaster to strike? You can prevent disasters from having a devastating impact by giving.

I was shocked when I heard in the past, in the aftermath of the great tsunami, that no more money is needed because humanitarian organisations cannot spend it. In my view, we should be interested in trying to prevent tsunamis from having the devastating effect they are having. We should be interested in discussing the effects of climate change, pollution, global warming and others. We should be interested in giving.

Giving is not just about money; it’s about time, effort, knowledge and thoughts. Giving is about a new climate change that makes us contribute every day to society.

Let us give justly.

And they called her Dignity...

Dignity is the result of credibility. Credibility is the outcome of authority. Authority is a God given right to human beings to look after humanity. When we look at our father and mother and their creation, we find that this cycle of abuse needs to end.

We, as men and women, come from our mother Eve. The dignity of woman is equal to the dignity of man and the authority of woman should be equal to the authority of man. In my view, authority means taking responsibility for our communities.

If a man abuses his authority because a woman can be physically weaker, that man is abusing a whole community. The issue of abuse, rape and sexual harassment is as old as the age of humanity. Why does the civilised world of the 21st century turn a blind eye, keep a deaf ear and turn its back on the victims of such a degrading act?

I cannot believe what I read recently on twitter:

The phrase “national sport” upsets me especially.  Is my mother, my wife, my daughter, my auntie a ball, a net or a stick people toy with?

Our world has a big issue to address through fairness and justice. Do we just turn our back to the victims, whether they are African, Asian, Latino, White, Aboriginal etc.?

We need to come back to the basics of life and remember that humanity cannot function with one hand, cannot be driven on one wheel, cannot see through one eye, heard through one ear or built by one individual. Humanity has to be built by two partners that God created from one another through dignity, respect, honour and equality. If we lose one, we lose humanity.

A doughnut please...

When I was a young boy, playful and energetic, barely in primary school, my mother wisely told me to mix with the less fortunate children.  In my opinion, this is a good way to bring up children in the middle of a cosmopolitan city such as Cairo.

Some people look down on the poor, oprhans, destitute and cannot imagine that somehow, someway, these people could be as “good” as they are or achieve as many things as they can potentially achieve.  When some people see an orphan or a poor child wearing nice clothes, riding a new bicycle or eating a doughnut, they get shocked and think that such things should be above their reach.  In my opinion , thinking that some people are beneath and undeserving is wrong.

The doughnut dilemma is, sadly, happening in the humanitarian field as well. Young, dynamic, innovative organisations are being overlooked. We talk about impartiality, partnership, transparency and empowerment. However, we gasp in shock, just like some people when they see orphans holding a doughnut, when an organisation has an initiative. We look at the size and resources of an organisation, just as we judge an orphan’s appearance.

Whenever I see this attitude in the humanitarian family, I remember what my mother used to tell me when I was a young boy, playing football in the back streets of Cairo. She used to say: “Son, people look at an orphan with pity until they see them eating a doughnut. Then they gasp in shock because they think they don’t deserve good things”.

The climate change and the cooking pot

Today I want to talk to you about another type of climate change.  Some places have four seasons in the year, whereas others have only two. Each season has its own climate and harvest potential.  God is the only one that makes the seasons change and maintains the climate, however human beings are the ones that cannot sit still and always look for change.

We have seen the big debate on the negative climate change that is leading slowly to global warming, desertification and large areas. However, in my opinion, we have also started to see a positive climate change. This time, it’s not about the weather, but about the social climate change. 

Last year, four Arab countries managed to successfully lift the lid of the cooking pot. We have yet to see if they will manage to change what’s inside the cooking pot.

This reminds me of the damage unexpected storms can do to harvests.  Both farmers and change-makers need to realise that taking off the lid is not the end, but the beginning of a long-term process of social climate change. A cooking pot brewing for 35-40 years is bound to have some problems.

I would also like to advise the young change-makers that the national pot doesn’t belong in the national kitchen, but in the international cuisine, doing everyone proud.