As the war rages on in Libya, and most of the world forgets that it is even happening, the Libyan people continue to suffer. Children, mothers, grandparents - entire families - are having to live through incredibly difficult times. They are trying to live "normal" lives, provide food for their families, go to school and work but alas, a civil war has disrupted their lives. Unfortunately, this is the nature of civil war. More than cities and towns get destroyed, also people's lives. Distrust runs rampant, rumors flood the streets, despair and hopelessness sets in, and the cry of the people go unheard. What can be done for the people of Libya? From where can a savior come?
The scenario that is playing out in Libya could happen in any country of the world and in fact has happened many times in history. It will also happen again maybe even in the United States, Europe, China, or any other country. Discontent leads to internal strife. Internal strife leads to public discord. And as we saw in Egypt, the power of the web and social media can get the revolutionary ball rolling quite quickly. Emotion kicks in. People searching for hope get caught up in the euphoria. A revolution begins to take place. And then it happens! Everyone is elated. There's dancing in the streets. People shed tears of joy. The celebrations last for three days. And then reality begins to set it. The big question everyone asks is, "Now what?" What happens next? Who is going to rule the country? What about security? Who is going to pay the civil servants who help to make our country stable? Who is in charge of the treasury? How are we going to restore the economy? Who is going to give me a job? Oh no, it's not better, it's actually worse! Yes, we might be a bit more free, but hey, this isn't what we dreamed it would be like. Help!
The scenario that is playing out in Libya could happen in any country of the world and in fact has happened many times in history. It will also happen again maybe even in the United States, Europe, China, or any other country. Discontent leads to internal strife. Internal strife leads to public discord. And as we saw in Egypt, the power of the web and social media can get the revolutionary ball rolling quite quickly. Emotion kicks in. People searching for hope get caught up in the euphoria. A revolution begins to take place. And then it happens! Everyone is elated. There's dancing in the streets. People shed tears of joy. The celebrations last for three days. And then reality begins to set it. The big question everyone asks is, "Now what?" What happens next? Who is going to rule the country? What about security? Who is going to pay the civil servants who help to make our country stable? Who is in charge of the treasury? How are we going to restore the economy? Who is going to give me a job? Oh no, it's not better, it's actually worse! Yes, we might be a bit more free, but hey, this isn't what we dreamed it would be like. Help!
And then there is very little help. A country that has just implemented a revolution must now find their way alone. Confused and disillusioned, the people begin to try and make some sense of what just happened and they try to envision the future. Fear begins to set in again. Wait, didn't we just have a revolution that got rid of our fears of the brutal government that has been ruling us for so many years? Why has the fear returned? And it is actually worse because there is too much uncertainty! Our imaginations are running wild. Again distrust and anxiety fill our lives. Life is worse than before! What have we done? Can we go back? Do we want to go back? Wasn't it better before we had the revolution? We at least had stability and security. Now the future is so uncertain we can hardly sleep at night. What should we do now? What can we do? Who is running the country? Who will help us figure this out?
You are alone. A feeling like you have never had before. The revolution is over. Life isn't better for the moment. Maybe it will get better. There's no guarantee. Next time maybe we should think twice before we have a revolution.
