Egypt: Bracing for the "Terrible Two's"?

Today marks the 2nd Anniversary of the Egyptian Revolution that led to the ouster of Mubarak.

Demonstrators went to the central scene of the Revolution, Tahrir Square, as early as last night to celebrate, but also to demonstrate.  Those demonstrating found themselves clashing with security forces and police--either defensively or offensively.  Al Jazeera reported clashes throughout many Egyptian cities last night ahead of when most would march and gather in the iconic city center.

I had to go under Tahrir today to preach for the St. Andrews United Church of Cairo's weekly worship.  On the return trip, I stopped and went out to look at the Square a couple of hours before afternoon prayers; the smell of tear gas lingered in the Metro station, burning my nostrils and eyes, as many paid vendors to buy surgical masks to help.  Coming out into the Square, the skies were clear and so was the air; as you can see by the video, thousands had already made their way to the Square:


Though the Muslim Brotherhood vowed to stay away to prevent the possibility of violence among those with opposing ideals, there are always those looking to start and/or be in the middle of a fight--so the cautious kept their distance so as not to find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Demonstrators representing various opposition groups, like those in the National Salvation Front, were planning to make speeches and stir the crowd against the Muslim Brotherhood, attempting to seize some momentum for future parliamentary elections.

As we pass the second anniversary of the revolution, the pace of change has been slow and many are growing impatient for change and the desired outcomes of the revolution.  This Al Jazeera video references the cry for "Bread, Freedom, and Social Justice,"



In thinking about this anniversary, the ups and downs of our first year, and the anticipation of stranger things to come, I thought about the child developmental stages and milestones.  According to this Wikipedia article, a few of the Birth to Age 1 motor developmental milestones are:

• Reaches with one hand leading to grasp an offered object or toy.
• Manipulates objects, transferring them from one hand to the other.
• Explores new objects by poking with one finger.
• Uses deliberate pincer grasp to pick up small objects, toys, and finger foods.
• Stacks objects; also places objects inside one another.
• Releases objects or toys by dropping or throwing; cannot intentionally put an object down.
• Beginning to pull self to a standing position.
• Beginning to stand alone, leaning on furniture for support; moves around obstacles by side-stepping.
• Has good balance when sitting; can shift positions without falling.
• Creeps on hands and knees; crawls up and down stairs.
• Walks with adult support, holding onto adult's hand; may begin to walk alone.
• Watches people, objects, and activities in the immediate environment.
• Shows awareness of distant objects (4 to 6 m or 13 to 20 ft away) by pointing at them.
• Responds to hearing tests (voice localization); however, loses interest quickly and, therefore, may be difficult to test formally.
• Follows simple instructions.
• Reaches for toys that are out of reach but visible
• Recognizes objects in reverse
• Drops thing intentionally and repeats and watches object
• Imitates activities like playing drum
• Begins to develop expressive rather than receptive language- child actually responding to what is said to him instead of only receiving and watching the interaction.

and Year 1 (age 12-24 months) motor developmental milestones are:

• Crawls skillfully and quickly.
• Stands alone with feet spread apart, legs stiffened, and arms extended for support.
• Gets to feet unaided.
• Most children walk unassisted near the end of this period; falls often; not always able to maneuver around obstacles, such as furniture or toys.
• Uses furniture to lower self to floor; collapses backwards into a sitting position or falls forward on hands and then sits.
• Enjoys pushing or pulling toys while walking.
• Repeatedly picks up objects and throws them; direction becomes more deliberate.
• Attempts to run; has difficulty stopping and usually just drops to the floor.
• Crawls up stairs on all fours; goes down stairs in same position.
• Sits in a small chair.
• Carries toys from place to place.
• Enjoys crayons and markers for scribbling; uses whole-arm movement.
• Helps feed self; enjoys holding spoon (often upside down) and drinking from a glass or cup; not always accurate in getting utensils into mouth; frequent spills should be expected.
• Helps turn pages in book.
• Stacks two to six objects per day.

And after all this, what lies ahead are those most difficult of early childhood years, the "Terrible Two's"!  If these have been the cute and cuddly years, is the Egypt population ready for the "tantrums," the verbal insistence of getting their own way, increasing independence and all the other challenges of a two-year old?

Now this is simplistic hyperbole, and given tongue-in-cheek, as I imply a connection of the political events of the past two years to that of a child's development in the first couple years.  But, we always have to keep in mind, that Egypt is a diverse and large nation attempting to start over with a lot of "baggage" and move through many deep, difficult issues--democratic development will be slow, clumsy, and involve a lot of trial and error.  Not only that, but it is doing this in the midst of a the "fishbowl" that is the international media that runs from cellphones to satellites to living rooms all over the world, and then embedded or retweeted or blogged by every potential "reporter" and "commentator" (like us)!  Maturity under such conditions is extremely difficult--and meanwhile, millions upon millions of lives hang in the balance waiting for such maturity.

One year completed for us; two years completed since the Revolution; many more years needed to see progress.

Thanks for your continuing interest, thoughts, prayers and support...

Pray for Egypt.

UPDATE: 01-26-2013 morning after...

Link to local newspaper re: deaths throughout Egypt

CNN out of control clashes in Suez

CNN Video from Tahrir 01-25-2013 night: