Monday, January 26, 2026

A trip to Egypt (Updated!)

Next Tuesday, 1/13/26, my wife and I will be flying to Cairo for a two week tour of Egypt. I’m writing to report my difficulty in believing this trip will happen - it’s such a contrast to the quotidian routines of suburban LA. Here’s a further twist: My 80th birthday will be in Cairo next Saturday. Am I part of a trend where Boomers seek a last hurrah, a special upset directly from the 60’s, with Trump leading the way, making giant noises to prove he exists? Inside I ask, “Will anyone care that I’m in Cairo? Will it make a giant noise? Is there some meaning to it?” At the moment I’m not seeing much meaning to being anywhere, whether gazing at the Great Pyramids of Giza over a sea of waving cell phones, or buying low-fat yogurt at the Woodland Hills Ralphs. Sorry to be so glum, it’s just...you know, traveling to Egypt just as Trump’s World War III is warming up? Timing is everything. Anyway, I don’t know what to expect. I’ll report again soon!

Sunday, 1/11/26

I scoured the LA Times this morning to make sure Egypt is not in the news, and gladly it is not, leaving the rage and ruin to its neighbors. How does Egypt achieve this relative calm, this seeming neutrality? Maybe we’ll find out.

Watch for future posts from Egypt!

Thursday, 1/15/26

The first surprise: As we flew low over the glittering spread of Cairo, the Lufthansa captain announced that if we looked out the windows on the left side of the plane we would see the Great Pyramids of Giza, lit up in the night by floodlights. I saw them and was moved by how gigantic and forceful they appear, even from above, dwarfing surrounding structures. I was surprised, however, because I had always pictured these pyramids surrounded by desert. They are actually surrounded by the urban sprawl of Cairo.

I have been puzzled for years by the representation of the pyramids as early examples of the majesty of human endeavor. They are that, but they are also early examples of dictatorial subjugation of populations by con artists presenting themselves as demigods or gods who merit massive tombs - a real pyramid scheme - while regular people and slaves get cheap, cruddy tombs. This scam has been carried forward through human history, culminating in the current US president, who claims superhuman status. Maybe after he awards himself the Nobel Peace Prize he’ll claim godhood.

More to come!

Tuesday, 1/27/26 We just got back from Egypt. I had intended to write from there, but I had recurring connectivity trouble, so instead I will work here to recreate the visit.

I’ll start with some quick notes, then pivot to deep philosophical questions that have no answer.

Quick notes:

The Great Pyramid at Giza was completed around 2,500 BC, and was, for 3,000 years, the tallest manmade structure in the world.

It was built at the beginning of Egyptian civilization and was never replicated. Why they stopped building giant pyramids is anyone’s guess.

We refer to the Greco-Roman period as ancient, but Egyptologist do not consider this period ancient, since it flourished a mere 2,000 years ago. When Egyptologists use the term “ancient,” they mean something like the reign of Pharaoh Cheops, 2551 BC to 2528 BC, although some of Cheops’ concepts don’t seem that ancient, like when -as noted- he decided he needed a tomb thousands of times bigger than the ordinary schmo’s because he was part-god.

Philosophical questions with no answer:

As mentioned earlier, I had hoped to learn something about the apparent neutrality of the Egyptian people and government, especially striking now in the context of the wars of all against all in every country bordering or near Egypt. I did not make much progress on this question, but I did have a theory that the God of Neutrality has cast a spell so that, whatever hatred and mistrustfulness might brew within the Egyptian mind and soul, that mind and soul continually hears a song from a place of peace and love, unattainable perhaps, but at least they can see it and hope. I know that’s not much of a theory; I just can't think of anything better at the moment.

Egyptian society is stratified. A tiny group wears western business suits and says things like, “The President outlined a meticulously designed plan for the state’s exit from certain public investments to create space for the private sector” (Egyptian-Gazette, 1/25/26), while a vast sea of struggling people focuses on what is before them, whether hunger, fear, insight, joy, or maybe some philosophical questions that have no answer.

P.S. As I bragged I would, I celebrated my 80th birthday in Cairo. I recount this for readers who might ask what it’s like to be 80. I can only say that it's like 79 only more so.

Tune in later for more!
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A trip to Egypt (Updated!)

Next Tuesday, 1/13/26, my wife and I will be flying to Cairo for a two week tour of Egypt. I’m writing to report my difficulty in believi...