As you know I want you all to learn from my mistakes. This entry to my blog is about the police in Cairo. They won’t give you trouble for having your wife and two kids on a motorcycle, or not wearing a helmet, or not having headlights on your motorcycle, or not wearing seatbelts, or driving on the wrong side of the road, or having twelve people in your car but take a photo of Tahrir square or them and you are in BIG trouble. It’s actually hard not to take a picture without the police in the frame, THEY ARE EVERYWHERE in Cairo, and in full battle armor, machine guns at the ready. The first few days I would smile at them, give them a thumbs-up, and NO response. Today I spoke with one of the sergeants and his boss at length and said “Why don’t you guys smile?” I had them both smiling and through the conversation, I learned they are there to make everyone feel safe.
Smiling they said is not in their nature while working. I gave them my Good vs Fantastic flyer and a Be Fantastic pin, they were very happy. I just hope that when they see my video on Tahrir square that is ILLEGAL they don’t come knocking on my door. He actually said kindly “I didn’t hear what you said” when I told him I filmed the square. Police are human, some don’t think so and only a few are bad apples. Be kind to them they are risking their lives for your safety. Another time I filmed the square was while a parade of trucks with plenty of armed police in them drove around the square with sirens blaring, I was TWO blocks away figuring I could pull off the video, I get approached by three men in civilian clothes, probably secret service who asked for my camera, I immediately showed them I deleted it without giving up the camera and they were happy and I went on my way. I was shocked. Anyway, I do feel safer now as I wear a very expensive watch that I know many will either chop my hand off or kill me for it. It’s an old watch and one of the few “things” I want with me as my policy as Dr. Fantastic is to collect moments, not things anymore, had plenty of things in my past. Most people think things bring you happiness, they are wrong, moments bring you happiness.
Be happy with yourself, love yourself, be kind to yourself, then to others, then to the environment and you are then a Fantastic person.
What you want to be, you can be, be Fantastic.
Dr. Fantastic
