by Hillary Austin, Euphrates staff
I met a guy this summer who was living in Cairo during the recent revolution. He gave a presentation at a local Rotary club, complete with pictures and stories from his daily experience. He had us all chuckling at the human-interest stories that composed the international phenomena that was Tahrir Square during the month of February. A roomful of southern Oregonians learning about the spirit and pluck of the Egyptians in Cairo, laughing at stories, and, I think, feeling heartened to recognize familiar scenes – moms, dads, kids, friends, all gathered together in photos on the screen – made for a great lunch hour.
I remember going to an Open Mic here in St. Louis the night that Mubarak finally did step down. It’s a community coffee shop, attracting diverse people of all ages and, I would assume, various political opinions. But, when one older man stood up at the microphone and dedicated his next song to the people of Egypt, the ensuing cheers drowned out the opening chords of the Beatles’ Revolution that followed.
And, though with decidedly less of an international flavor, what about the incredible national community that was demonstrated after the sobering weather-related events that swept through O’Fallon, MO, earlier this summer? The collective will to help, build, and heal proved stronger than the destructive events. This same spirit has been demonstrated in Japan, and all over the world in recent months. It’s proof that when faced with a crisis, people naturally coalesce.
So, clearly, people can get behind the idea of gatherings based on freedom, open-mindedness, change, progress, and some good old-fashioned community — whether it’s happening right in our midst or across the globe. The Euphrates Summit will be such a gathering, collecting people who are ready to change the “norm” of fear and conflict regarding the Middle East. It’s time to face the crisis of deteriorating relations with an entire region of the world — to overthrow the oppressive fear that has governed our actions, both individually and collectively, since that September 11th ten years ago.
We’ll come together to speak frankly about where our world stands, where the divisions seem to run deep, and where cooperation seems most possible. The current divisive mentality is unsustainable, and it’s time that a movement of people comes together to show our government, and the world community that we are able to see past the vast cultural differences and see instead a world where our similarities as people outweigh our perceived differences.
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Euphrates is pleased to announce that registration for the Euphrates Summit: Our World Beyond 9/11 opens today, Monday August 15th. Please visit the summit page to find out more.
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