Every little bit…
Everything in our society is establish by us. People. Individuals.
And when people come together to reach a common goal then great, magnificent feats can be achieved.
But every little bit counts. Everything that had been worked at so hard to be established is really a jigsaw puzzle of unique people’s ideas and opinions.
So, if you want change, it is the work of every individual.
But, if you want change to happen, it’ll have to be the work of the masses.
Take the protests and unrest in Egypt, for example. Here is Khaled Said,a shy, soft-spoken 28-year-old who ran a small business in Alexandria. He was one victim of the corruption of the police force in Egypt. He was beaten to death. The police blamed it on the crime he committed. His story was the spark for many Egyptians. Their equal, combined rage over this young man’s death is only a small part of the current happening.
But it’s a cycle. The result of such mass rage, is the anger of the very people. If you want to quell the rage of the masses, you have to make every individual happy.
I guess it’s the same for the media too. As much as it seems like a solid, single thing, it’s really the opinion of people. The opinion is just, perhaps a little truer, and factual, and backed up more first-hand stories. Perhaps then, there is no truth. There is only the opinion of each and every unique person. But when the opinions of many people come together, and common ideas and thoughts and facts are put together, then maybe now that so many people agree on the same thing, there is truth.
So it’s simply a cycle.
February 3, 2011 @ 2:54 pm
Really, amazing blog post.
However, there are two points, you really can’t make everyone happy. I think that if he makes it better, and satisfies but doesn’t make everyone happy it is enough, and probably the most he can do. This is because you can’t make everyone happy, you legalize pesticides, and you have environmentalists outside your door.
You legalize death sentences, and you have liberals, and pro-lifivists outside your door. There are universal things that make everyone unhappy, and in Egypt I think that really, the most that any one individual can do, is to get Mubaack away, and in doing so getting rid of the things that makes most individuals unhappy.
Also, truth is not non-existent as you’re alluding to. It is most certainly however elusive, and hard to find. Truth is the hard facts, How many people died in Egypt, is the truth if you can find the exact figure. Raw facts, especially numbers are the truth, however when it is being reported, it become opinion. So, really a report is like myth.
At the heart of every myth there is a grain of truth.
February 3, 2011 @ 3:03 pm
Iris,
Totally amazing post. It really gave me a lot to think about.
“Perhaps then, there is no truth. There is only the opinion of each and every unique person. But when the opinions of many people come together, and common ideas and thoughts and facts are put together, then maybe now that so many people agree on the same thing, there is truth.”
I found this really powerful. But, for argument’s sake, when you have a group of people who are convinced that their ideas are the only right ones, how can you trust what they are saying? So while the protesters in Egypt think they are right, the government probably thinks what they are doing is right too. And if like you say, a collective group of opinions or ideas is the truth, then how can you tell which is “right”. So there’s really so many variations of “truth” based on who you are talking to.
-Chelsea
February 3, 2011 @ 3:14 pm
Thanks for the comment, Chelsea!
Perhaps there is no “right” answer. The “right” thing to do in Mubarak’s head is probably very different from the angry mobs’ ideas. I guess that’s the problem with us humans. There are too many unique ideas to find a real common ground. And yes, definitely, truth is never the same.
-Iris
February 3, 2011 @ 6:12 pm
I completely agree with your opinion, Iris. If a group of people are populous and determined enough, they can take down any monarchy, dictatorship, or “democracy”. Simple, normal people took down Hitler, Stalin, and many other rulers.
However, there is a chink in the armor. In the recent Iranian Revolution, the people were upset about matters that their government couldn’t neccessarily control. A bloody, cruel, lengthy takedown of a 3000 year old monarchy ensued. The revolution’s leaders, the Mullah Regime, ended up being more bloody thirsty and tyrannical than the previous government!
Egypt’s revolution leader, Mohamed ElBaradei, has been in the spotlight before, with his Nobel Peace prize. However, his support of the US government and dislike of Ira
February 3, 2011 @ 6:15 pm
sorry, my finger hit the enter key :/. I was saying his dislike of Iraq is very similar to Iran’s Reza Shah (king), so perhaps these protests are reminiscent to those of Iran’s, and Egypt could end up in worse hands than it is in now.
February 3, 2011 @ 11:14 pm
What a great blog post Iris!
I love, love, love when you said ” So, if you want change, it is the work of every individual. But, if you want change to happen, it’ll have to be the work of the masses. ”
This really struck a chord with me, because it is so undeniably true! I think that has a whole lot to do with the fact that all humans are connected by simply agreeing on their own truths, or opinions. And when the numbers become high enough, they become a force to be reckoned with.
I agree with your opinions about what truth is – and to be honest I think that truth is indescribable, because it’s hard to determine if it exists or not. So that would make things really hard for the media, because it’s almost like a “lose-lose” situation. They do what they think is right, whether we like it or not. And in a sense, what they broadcast to us is “their truth/opinion”