Having many Egyptian friends, I have begun to understand some of their dreams and hopes for their future in their new democratic Egypt. However, I continued to be interested in their thoughts so I literally posted a Facebook Questionnaire to obtain their specific dreams and goals. These were the questions and the assignment I gave to them:
I want to do a blog about your future dreams and plans since Egypt has become a democracy. Please answer the following questions honestly. You may answer them below this post or send me the answers as a private message. I will not use your name in the article to protect your privacy — only your comments. So be honest please. 
- What are your goals or dreams for the rest of 2013?
- How do you hope to see your life five years from now? Ten years from now?
- What is your biggest dream or wish for Egypt?
Here are the results of my informal survey and questionnaire.
One of my friends still feels very disillusioned about the present and the future of his country. He stated that there is “still no democracy. The revolution did nothing.” I know there are others who feel this way, too, because some of my friends now indicate a desire to migrate to another foreign country to find employment and start a new life there. However, for the most part, most young Egyptians still desire to remain in their homeland and want to make Egypt the strong and powerful country it was of years gone by.
When asked to respond to their goals for the rest of 2013, these were the answers I received.
1. University graduates wanted to try to find good paying jobs and become more self –sufficient so as to not need financial support from their parents.
2. Many of the students wanted to complete their education as quickly as possible and to improve their language skills, particularly in English, French, and Italian.
3. The friends who tended to be philosophers in their thinking prayed and wished that Egyptians who were now in conflict with each other would learn to forgive each other and to reconcile their differences.
4. The politically minded friends unhappy with the current government wanted Egypt to eliminate the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood and to try to get rid of terrorist groups giving Muslims a bad name around the world. Some wanted President Morsi to resign as Egypt’s current president.
5. Others wanted to start their own businesses, such as language schools, Human Resource Centers, and student activity teams to help Egyptians, or if already employed by a company, they planned to work harder to make his or her company more successful and prosperous.
6. A few of them expressed an interest in getting involved in more volunteer organizations, such an NGO. One very dear friend also said he needed to become friends with more and more people to encourage them to be as optimistic as he is about his future, which is a very noble and kind approach to life.
Their goals for the next five to ten years were typical of most people around the world.
1. The ones who wished to migrate to other countries hoped they were now well established in these new countries with successful careers.
2. The ones who planned to stay in Egypt want to have successful jobs in big companies or to own a prosperous business and live in big houses and drive luxury cars.
3. Many wanted to continue their education and earn masters and doctoral degrees at prestigious universities. One friend even wanted to start a new university in Egypt to improve the upper level educational system there.
4. Almost all of them dreamed of being happily married with children and of earning enough money to provide a good life for their families.
5. Some longed to travel to foreign countries as tourists. The United States was often at the top as one of their preferred destinations.
6. One very optimistic friend even saw himself as the President of Egypt in ten years—a dream which brought a big smile to my face because I, too, wish this for him.
Finally their dreams and goals for their country of Egypt were lofty ones.
1. The loftiest dream was for Egypt to be the capital of the world and a major world power as it was so many thousands of years ago in ancient times. This friend also wanted Egypt to be the center for science, business, culture, and spiritual events and to become a huge tourist site once again. Another friend envisioned Egypt as the empire of economic affairs in agricultural and manufacturing businesses.
2. A very close friend felt it was the responsibility of each and every citizen to know his rights and duties and to contribute his best for Egypt.
3. Another person simply wanted Egypt to be a “happy homeland for its people and the sons of its soil.”
4. Many wanted peace, tranquility, and unity after several years of revolution and turmoil in Egypt now and wanted poverty to be eliminated with the development of more jobs and a more stable and better economy. One dear friend stated so eloquently that “humanity must come first.”
As you can see, the dreams and hopes of the modern Egyptians are very similar to that of any loyal, hard-working citizen anywhere in the world. We all share a dream to be successful, to be able to provide well for our families, and to live in peace and harmony in our homelands or some other place in which we feel at home.
Goals and dreams MUST ALWAYS include HOPE as well! I DREAM THAT MY FRIENDS IN EGYPT AND PEOPLE ALL AROUND THE WORLD NEVER EVER GIVE UP HOPE!!! Without it, nothing or very little can EVER be achieved. I will now share more thoughts about HOPE in my poem below.
By Randi D. Ward
Hope is a word not to be taken lightly.
It can fill up our lives and our world so brightly.
It is what we need when we are feeling down
It can make us want to smile and get rid of a frown.
It can help us to mend a broken heart
And encourage us to desire a new start.
Hope is what terminal patients often seek
When they are feeling so extremely weak.
It helps students to dream an unimaginable thing
And makes them believe they can achieve anything.
It encourages all of us to do our very best
And fulfill our need to complete our lifelong quest.
Without hope the world would be so sad.
We might view the world as being very bad.
But hope gives us the chance to make all things good
And live our lives in the productive way we should.
So we must hope and dream and believe each and every day
That hope will remain in our hearts and never ever go away.
Randi D. Ward
June 4, 2013
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