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Daring to think and freedom of choice – By Dr. Hossam Badrawi

Daring to think and freedom of choice
Hossam Badrawi
I was inspired to write this article by the philosopher Samuel Kant in his famous article “Dare to know” (in Latin: Sapere aude), which is a term that is equivalent in English to “Dare to know” and can also be translated in other terms such as “Dare to think” or “Dare to be wise.” ».
The origin of this term goes back to the Roman poet and writer Horace (65 BC – 8 BC) in his book “The Epistles”. This term was directly linked to the Age of Enlightenment. This term became famous and spread widely after Kant used it in his famous essay that he published in 1784, where Kant made the phrase “Dare to know” a slogan of the Enlightenment and used it to develop his theories for applying the powers of reason in the general sphere of human affairs.
Mature rational thinking throughout history has created the possibility of balance for humanity, leaving us the task of thinking with our minds. We now ask for proof, be skeptical, then discuss, then be convinced, review statements to believe, and seek to explain the accumulated knowledge we have that our ancestors did not have.
Reason and thinking are the miracle of creation within us, so how can some people try to abolish it and not allow its use for fear of the survival of customs, religion and the beliefs of the ancestors, as if God needs protection from those who think and how some people try to abolish it in order to maintain power or an economic or political situation, as if the nation is monopolized by one group and no other.
Awareness, gentlemen, is a mental state through which we become aware of reality and the facts that occur around us, through a person’s contact with the environment in which he lives and his contact with it, so he has the opportunity to choose.
The ability to choose is the topic of the hour and the topic of the future. We can turn every opportunity before us into a problem and a crisis, and see and discover in every crisis that faces us new opportunities through which we can invest and develop. This will depend on the way we are aware of all aspects of matters and how we deal with the reality that presents itself. Multiple opportunities to move into a new era.
The ability to make the right and best choice, which takes into account the inherent values that must be integrated into the conscience of the individual, the family, and society as a whole, stems from the approach of knowledge and the use of reason and the scientific method in thinking.
This is the purpose of this article, to dare to think freely without fear, and to dialogue about what we think without terrorism, as long as we respect difference, and do not transfer the difference of opinion to judge people and themselves, or accuse and demean them simply because they are different.
Daring to think and express is the essence of the meanings of my words, because I see in people the best in them, and I am not afraid to share my thoughts, with words, with a brush, and with dialogues, and I am not afraid of disagreement in opinion or retracting my opinion when I find what convinces me of reason, knowledge, and correct references..
The question I ask myself,
Can the Egyptian people get better management at the political, economic and monetary levels? The answer is yes. Egypt is full of competencies and capabilities and we can get better.
Can society’s rights to education, health care, transportation, and all services be available with higher quality? I hasten to say yes, the financial social assistance package is worthless without high-quality education and health care at no cost to the citizen.
The issue is not money spent or increasing salaries for state workers, who are not the majority (about 5 million out of 25 million work), but rather rights that we must provide to everyone.
Have we been stung by the increase in prices and the lack of jobs, yes….
Were the major projects that were started important for turning the wheel of development after the almost absolute halt before embarking on other effective and effective steps? Were they sufficient to achieve our aspirations? My answer is no. They were not sufficient due to the imbalance of priorities and the inefficiency of accounting for spending.
But I know from my experience that in a period after crises, wars, and depression, the beginning is difficult.
I also know that there are many challenges facing us, an accumulation of negatives and the creation of new negatives.. And I realize that raising the standard of living for a wide segment of citizens depends on an interconnected reform system, as well as the continuation of high growth rates for many years, which does not happen alone because the citizen is rebellious and angry, but because We plan and work.
The question is, why am I not angry with those who are angry now, when I feel this clearly in the street and among all classes, and whoever does not see it is blind to the truth. Why don’t we get rid of the government, show them that the people are capable of this, and start again?
The Egyptian people did this twice in five years. Once in 2011, the army rushed to support him, got rid of Mubarak’s rule, led society to parliamentary and presidential elections, and brought the Brotherhood from prisons to the seats of power.
Then things become more tense, services get worse, the country’s borders are violated, the people’s freedoms are restricted, and Egypt becomes a hostage to one group and everyone is excluded in the face of the Brotherhood’s oppressive desire and political orientation.
Within a year, the Constitutional Court was besieged to prevent it from meeting, the media production city was besieged to prevent opinion and its announcement, and the country’s president issued himself a defense for his decisions, and the judiciary, the media, the police, the army, and all citizens other than his group were prepared. We saw Sadat’s killers at the forefront of the October victory celebrations, conservatives who committed terrorist crimes being appointed to the places of their crimes and sitting on the throne of power, angry demonstrations besieging the federal government and hordes of the Brotherhood brutally attacking them, and we saw the introductions to a dictatorial religious rule that does not conform to what the people dream of.
Meanwhile, prices also increased, electricity was cut off, infrastructure was torn apart, roads were broken, and services declined at a rapid rate.
The people decided to change again, so they launched a peaceful popular revolution against the Brotherhood. His army was summoned again on June 30, in a historic precedent.
Now, I see trends towards inviting the crowd into chaos again.
. Let us reflect this time and ask ourselves before participating in the destruction of the homeland, over everyone’s head, what will we gain from a new chaos or even a revolution? Are there economic solutions proposed within the framework of a new political trend that will suddenly change the situation? Or is it just the desire for destruction and sometimes revenge? Do those who advocate chaos have solutions? So let us hear them and realize them before we allow everything to be destroyed…
Will the demonstrations, chaos and unrest bring down prices or will they bring us misfortunes like we have seen before? .
Will investment increase and services improve, once what we have is demolished, or will we move further and further away from the possibility of this?
This time, we will not escape the fate of Syria, Libya, Iraq, and Yemen, and we will not have the ability to endure a new gap in the economy, employment, and services, and the presence of the armies of the East and West and the militias will only be the beginnings of a reality that we are still seeing in a beautiful country full of competencies and capabilities that could not stop the slide toward the abyss of wars. Civility and destruction.
What is best for my country is to present alternatives, work, work, and dare to think and say.
What is most successful for my country is continued stability that brings about movement and not stillness, without compromising on raising the efficiency of the government and institutions.
What is most valuable to my country is that I contribute my work, not allow the mob to kill and end my work opportunity.
Yes, we want more and this is our right.
Yes, we acknowledge the shortcomings in performance, and this is our duty.
But the great people of Egypt have learned a lot in recent years
We must build on the shoulders of what is achieved and not on the remains of what we destroy
Despite my anger at times, and despite my anger at other times, and despite my view that the Constitution or even the agreed-upon economic policies were not being implemented,
I will stand against chaos and support my country, my parliament, and my government to be better.
But Parliament must be a true representative of the people. The government must be held accountable if it continues to do the same thing again and expect different results.
After my call for the courage to think, comes my call for the freedom to speak and express an opinion. I will always declare my opinion freely, and I will give the president in a new term and his government the opportunity to change course and implement what they declare.
I am a positive man with a free opinion and I will always support my state and my country, especially during a crisis.
I will hold the government and the head of state accountable with the freedoms of choice afforded to me by my constitution and the means provided by the law.
This is my choice, and society must dare to think and dare to initiate, speak out, express an opinion, and build, not destroy.
Long live Egypt