We Must Listen Before They Stop Talking

It is about time that everyone outside of Egypt understands what is going on within the country. The media, politicians, and "experts" from every point of view are confusing the issue by attributing their own (often self-serving) rationales to explain what is happening.

The reason is very simple. The people have had it. Egyptians of all ages, from all walks of life and of all religions, are coming together in an effort to eliminate, once and for all, a dictatorship that has squelched freedom for the past 30 years.

"I used to call them the spoiled brats of the internet," one Cairo woman confessed. "Now I kiss their feet," she said, referring to the young men and women who are finally challenging Egypt's long and painful record of endurance under a dictatorial regime.

The time has come, and the time is right. The median age in Egypt is 24. A huge percentage of the population is under 30 years of age. The internet, cell phones, and social networking have made this incredible and positive move toward democracy possible.

Westerners should be listening to Egyptians, especially the nation's young people -- not the dozens of "experts," most of whom have little or no expertise on what is really happening in North Africa and the Middle East.

When will the world get the message? Peace and goodwill come from freedom, people coming together and getting to know one and other, even people from within the same society. That is the core message of One World 2011.

The elderly woman in Cairo now understands the value of the brats on the internet. The streets of Cairo are jammed with people from all religions unified in their demands for democracy.

Freedom and democracy are core human values that transcend all isms.

We must listen to each other. We must listen to the Egyptian people!