Aside from the most left-leaning radio stations, namely Pacifica’s KPFK here in Los Angeles, I have never---and I mean never---heard on prime time network television the kind of honest and extended discourse about global policy in the Middle East as I’ve heard in just the last few weeks. Suddenly, Egypt, Libya and other Middle Eastern countries are being discussed not just in the context of oil and our dictator “friends”.
For decades Egypt was Mubarak; Libya was Qaddafi; and the reality of millions of oppressed people simply never entered the dialogue. How much more of the world do we see (has been portrayed) only through the prism of national interest? Yet lately on our TV screens, beyond the chatter about “policies” and "friends", are (gasp) real people, all with kindred aspiration to our own. The protesting masses simply want to live in a world of peaceful co-existence, where dignity and the right to self-determination reign. How were we blind to such huge masses of oppressed people for so long? Why now, are millions risking their lives to have what we’ve had all along—at their expense?
But overnight our eyes are opening. Suddenly, “we the people” is taking on a whole new meaning. And frankly, it's a little scary. Because if we mean what we say about “liberty and justice for all”, does that mean them, too? If not, why not? How will all this upheaval affect us? What kind of world do we really want? This IS the question.
These times are an awakening for the entire human race. The new realities are forcing us to look at ourselves in a whole new way. This is called expanded consciousness; another word for wisdom. How much richer the world will be with these ancient cultures actually participating in the global discourse as we shape our new Century. I, for one, welcome the new faces into the global--the human--community.