Hossam Badrawi Official Website
”A year has passed, and a new year comes.”
By Hossam Badrawi
Translated by Chat GPT
At the beginning of a new year, I have reviewed my actions, words, what I have read, heard, and seen. This article aims to share a part of me with the reader, hoping to add experience, plant a seed, and perhaps together we can be optimistic about tomorrow, appreciate the beauty of life, and thank God for His blessings.
Darkness may be the prelude to daylight, and pain may purify souls, and adversity may be the path to salvation.
A new year is abundant for those who read, and it brings days of goodness and enlightenment for those who read and understand. Politically ,It also brings hope and brightness for those who do not turn supporters into servants, opponents into traitors, and those who differ in opinion into agents. A picture in one colour has no value; it is the diversity of colours, characters, and perspectives that give it weight and shape a better future.
The beauty of Egypt lies in the diversity of ideas and orientations. The fundamental value of Egypt’s existence, alongside its unprecedented human and civilisational history for thousands of years, since the beginning of enlightenment, is the diversity of its people. Let us take pride in our diversity in thought, religion, and opinion, and let us hold onto our unity in the pursuit of social progress and happiness.
We agree on the goal, while the means may vary.
”The true wealth of Egypt lies in its citizens throughout history. It was the Egyptians who built the Egyptian civilisation in the oldest state in history ,They were the ones who initiated enlightenment in the region. I fear losing our most precious treasures, which are our children and youth, whether through declining education levels, extremist thinking, regressive behaviour, or the loss of values.
We must be prepared to choose and make cultural, social, and political decisions that not only serve the enlightenment of minds and reshape the future of the country to suit the development of humanity but also become the creators of that future.
We do not want half-openness and half-closure , Halfway doesn’t take us to the finish line, so we don’t win anything, and we cannot have a fresh start.
”To be optimistic means to see the light amidst darkness, to feel that despite all the challenges, difficulties, and pains, there is still much to love about life. It is beautiful and worth living for, struggling for, and fighting to achieve and attain.”
”The lesson I learned from the January revolution is that revolutions occur when hope is lost in achieving a movement and change that truly addresses the needs of the masses through legitimate means. Revolution, in the academic definition, is an illegitimate act against an existing system. If it succeeds, the system becomes criminal, accused, and guilty. If it fails, the revolutionaries become criminals and outcasts from the system. Heroes and villains switch places because the victors are the ones who write history.”
”The reality of life that I believed in and my faith in it is that from time to time, we need a shake-up and awakening, but we do not need destruction and chaos. I have learned that wise governance allows for change from within, with a declared vision, and permits the peaceful transition of power without the need for revolutions.”
”Wise governance listens to those who differ with it, engages in dialogue with those who have different perspectives, and must have political experts and advisors who do so for and against it. Security institutions should protect rather than prevent this because they protect a system, not an individual ruler, and safeguard a state where systems change.”
The wisdom of experience says that the optimal path for the progress of nations is to move forward through transformation, not revolution. We should strive for development, not sudden bursts, and there is no need for us as citizens to fear or intimidate society as rulers.
Socrates said, “The leaf that does not fall in autumn is considered treacherous to its sisters, faithful in the eyes of the tree, and rebellious in the eyes of the seasons. Everyone sees the situation from their own perspective.”
I have found that I may not agree with an idea, but I do not argue with the thinker. I was impressed by Galileo’s statement: “It is easy to understand any truth after its discovery, but the idea is in discovering it.” A person may die, and nations may rise or fall, but the idea continues to live on. Ideas do not expire if they can confront the constants that the public believes in and become part of their collective consciousness.
We must understand that an idea becomes powerful when it captures the hearts of the masses.
I read some quotes by Bertrand Russell that I would like to share with you, where he says, “Societies can be ignorant and backward, but the most dangerous thing is when they see their ignorance as sacred and do not allow it to be discussed.” He also said, “Do not be afraid to have a different opinion, Every accepted opinion today was once contrary to prevailing beliefs.”
”Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and this fear tends to produce aggression towards those who are not considered members of the herd.”
”When faced with opposition, even if it is from your spouse or children, try to overcome it through argument and discussion, not through authority. Any victory based on authority is not genuine and is illusory.”
I have read and would like to share with you how a person can be a blessing to those around them:
If you have a comforting presence in someone’s life, someone who chooses the right words to soothe their gentle soul, you are a blessing.
If you always make people feel the best about themselves and bring out the best in them, you are a blessing.
If you don’t explode with anger when you’re upset, but show mercy to those in front of you, you are a blessing.
If you have chosen to be one of the servants of the Most Merciful, who walk upon the earth gently, and when the ignorant address them, they say, “Peace,” you are a blessing.
I always think about a verse in the Quran that contains wisdom that its interpreters did not fully understood in their time. It says, “Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it bears every ill that it earns.” I read a beautiful interpretation of the verse that says, “Let the one who has capacity spend from their capacity.” It doesn’t say, “Let the one who has wealth spend from their wealth.” So, if your capacity lies in kind words, spend from it. If your capacity lies in a pure smile, spend from it. If your capacity lies in assisting others, spend from it. If your capacity lies in mending hearts, spend from it. If your capacity lies in spreading knowledge, spend from it. If your capacity lies in reconciling between people, spend from it. If your capacity lies in doing good within your means, spend from it. Spending is not limited to wealth; it is not limited to the rich.
Let us remember at the beginning of a new year that if we have gathered dozens of issues, one issue should not separate us. Let us not demolish the bridges we have built and crossed, as we may need them to return someday.
Imam Al-Shafi’i said, “Even if you are pricked by a thorn one day, be a planter of roses.”
And I have learned from what I have learned, attributed to my idol Ali Bin Abytaleb,: ”Not everything known should be spoken, not everything spoken should be spoken at the right time, and not everything that is spoken at the right time has reached its intended audience.”
In the beginning of a new year, let us remember this wisdom: “Do not cry over everything that has passed, but make it a lesson for you ,For nothing makes you great except great pain, and not every fall is an end, for the fall of rain is the most beautiful beginning.”
Your interaction with others determines your status, and the higher your manners, the higher your status.
I will conclude with a wise saying: “If you shed tears for someone’s pain, you are noble, But if you participate in their healing, you are great.”
And a poem by Elia Abu Madi that I love says:
”Love…
And the hut becomes a bright palace…
And hate…
And the universe becomes a dark prison…”
May we have a sweet year filled with love, tolerance, forgiveness, work, hope, freedom, and happiness.
