Next Tuesday, 1/13/26, my wife and I are 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 when 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.
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 the pyramids and was moved by how gigantic and forceful they appear, even in ruined condition (their walls used to be covered with white reflective limestone, blindingly bright in the sun; the stepping-stone granite pyramids we see today were the inner support structures). I was surprised, however, because I had always pictured the Giza pyramids surrounded by desert. The Sahara does loom to the east, but, on the west, Cairo’s urban sprawl encroaches.
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 appeared throughout 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.
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 historical notes, then on to current issues.
Historical notes:
The Great Pyramids of Giza were built at the beginning of Egyptian civilization, and were the last pyramids of their scale to be built for the next 3,000 years. Why the Egyptians 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 so 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.
Current issues:
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 hear 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 multitude of struggling people focuses on what is before them, whether hunger, fear, insight, joy, or maybe some philosophical questions with no answer.
PS: 3/12/26 - During the current war pitting Iran against the US, Israel and surrounding Arab countries, Egypt’s ability to stay neutral is highlighted by the lack of missiles targeting it. Regarding Egypt and Israel’s current avoidance of attacks on each other, it cannot be attributed to acceptance of Jews in Egypt. After the the Suez Crises in 1956, Egypt began mass expulsions of its Jews (while keeping their property), leaving today a reputed population in Egypt of five Jews, while the two remaining synagogues (one in Cairo and one in Alexandria) are subsidized as tourist attractions. The strange tolerance now between Israel and Egypt might have something to do with ancient Egypt’s role in the origin of monotheism, suggested by the history of King Tut’s father, Akhenaten, who adopted an obscure sect that discarded all the rival animal-headed gods and replaced them with a “one true god” (Aten, the sun disk god). Akhenaten was overthrown as a dangerous heretic. Moses perhaps was inspired by stories of the suppressed monotheism, possibly shedding light on his fury towards his people’s attraction to a golden calf reminiscent of Egyptian animal gods.
