Cairo

I've always wanted to travel to Cairo and see the Pyramids and Sphinx. I had saved money to make the trip just as I had for London. I bought the tour books and planned my excursion and day dreamed. Then a family member's medical problems followed by a friend's financial problems and one thing after another until the trip was put on the wish list of places to visit. Egypt is often seen as a land of mystery and exotic beauty. But one of the benefits of traveling and also of meeting people from elsewhere is learning that while some things separate us culturally we share so much more in common. I fear most Americans care less about the 88 dead in Sharm el-Sheik than they do the dead in London. And they care even less about the 40 just killed in Baghdad. There are several reasons. The White House manipulated the terror alerts so frequently in the 2004 election season that many Americans have tuned out events. There also are those who would rather gouge out their own eyes than to see the truth that the administration's decision to go to war in Iraq instead of finishing the job against al-Qaeda made the world much less safe for everyone. The people killed, however, whether Egyptian grandmothers or British office workers or Iraqi children, all bled the same red blood. They all had dreams. They all had disappointments. They all enjoyed sharing meals with friends. They all enjoyed laughter. And they all probably told the same jokes though in different languages. And since Dracula is one of the most recognized literary figures across the globe, they all probably saw a vampire movie at some time in their lives. We share so much in common with others on the planet. Unfortunately today we share in the sorrow.