I woke up in a parallel universe. It took me a while to realise it, things seemed deceptively normal in the first few minutes of the day that would so rapidly decline into a confusing swirl of absurdity.
I met my face in the mirror in the morning and my coffee still tasted good. Like many of you, I tend to catch up with what has been going in the world as I slowly acquaint myself to the fact I am actually awake. I have learned to tread carefully of late, living in a country in turmoil, the news often tends to shock and awe me into consciousness.
My stealthy approach to what’s up in the world lured me into thinking it safe to read up on what the Constitutional Assembly had been able to agree on thus far. I skimmed over the translated wording of the agreed upon first article and reality shifted as I reached the end. It declared Egypt is connected to Africa.
I have had my doubts that humanity has not left the realm of reality a long time ago, but lifelong habits of reason had squelched these disturbing notions up to today, yet denial was no longer possible. I am living in a surreal world where the absurd has become the norm. As much as I understand the value of bigger pictures, I believe we have collectively taken leave of our senses in how we have allowed that to become an excuse to hide behind.
We have accepted callousness, sloppy reporting and outright lies to be served up as profound truths by the media. The elusive, all-knowing group of sources that skulk in the shadowy realms of inside knowledge have a lot to answer for. If only anyone knew who they are.
We discuss larger political ramifications as men with big titles flit around the globe in a bid to convince mass-murderers they should play nice. We limit our human interactions to snide twitter messages and liking quotes of history’s greats we post as status updates. Colourful phrases like judicial thuggery lift up the spirits of us word-nerds, blithely ignoring the events that evoked the passion to utter them in the first place.
No more. I can no longer deny the absurdity that surrounds me. The astoundingly ridiculous piece of stating the obvious included in article one has left me with no other option.
I cry over the image of that father in Syria, sitting in a small grave clutching his dead child to his chest, unable to let him go just yet. I don’t understand why not everyone is.
Something hurts inside me when I see the age-old eyes in the twelve year old street girl, who gave birth to a child only a few months ago. I cannot accept there was no one there to keep her safe.
I do not understand how those who learned about persecution first hand have no qualms ensuring it will be part of a new Egypt, how geography ranks higher than freedom.
I am lost in a world that changed into a Monty Python episode that for once is not funny.
