The unjust "we"

We hate the injustice that happens in Egypt, and forget that we are producers of the very same injustice. We are not evil persons, we just become unjust unconciously.

This is the way it happens:

Step 1: You experience the injustice in many every-day situations. For example, the government raises fuel prices, merchants raise prices of consumption goods, bad treatment, and pushes in the street.

Step 2: The idea of "my rights are denied in this society" starts to dominate your head. You determine that it's time for you to fight to get your lost rights.

Step 3: For some reason, you think that anything you would like to do or take is a compensation for your lost rights; hence it's your right (and you forget that you are taking the compensation from the wrong person).

The take-home message I'm trying to make here is: think twice before doing anything that you don't "apparently" have the right to do, because you could be unjust against innocent people.

Justification of my career move

I've graduated on 2007 from Alexandria University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Computer Systems and Engineering. After graduation, I've been working for eSpace Technologies as a part-time software developer, in addition to my job as a teaching assistant in the department I've graduated in.

I believe that teaching potentially good students, improving their technical skills and/or enriching their personalities, is the most valuable job; at least it's the most valuable job I can do given my qualifications. Personally, I used to enjoy teaching so much.

I also believe that eSpace Technologies is a well respected software house (or I shall say 'software school'), and I really enjoyed working with people in eSpace.



So, why did I leave those two jobs that I appreciated and joined CMIC?

I felt like I lost excellence. I was a TA, software developer and a post graduate student. Each of the three happened to be a time-demanding job on its own. I couldn't manage my time to dedicate enough time for each. I ended up doing the minimum accepted requirements, and this is not the way I like it.



I didn't change my long term plan. I'm still planning to do research and teach promising students. So, I'm still planning to work on a PhD degree, and then to teach in a university (hopefully, Alexandria University). But this wouldn't be enough, I'll soon burn out and have nothing more to give my students. So, I would go with teaching a few courses in university, in addition to gaining professional experience as a researcher.

CMIC is really a unique center, at least in the Middle East. CMIC gave me the chance to do applied research, work closely with distinguished researchers, in a professional environment, with a good salary, and work on my masters degree.

In a 3-years time, I intend to start working on a PhD in a distinguished university, God willing. After getting a PhD degree, I'll be in a good shape to do research and also teach students, promising students, I hope.

We get stronger when we get back to defaults

Unconsciously, we go strongly towards the things we experienced for long. We get reluctant when it comes to change.

People set strategies and tactics to give up a bad habit. After giving it up, it’s quite easy to re-gain it.

Crocodiles normally have their mouths shut; they experience keeping it shut long times. When crocodiles get to open their jaws, they use a very weak set of muscles. When they get to close their jaws, powerful muscles which easily tear and hold onto flesh are used.

To me, it’s a fact that we become “strong” when we get back to “defaults”, and “weak” when we go to “new settings”.

Some conclusions could be very useful. To make safe use of a crocodile, one would tape its mouth to keep it shut (rather than trying to keep his jaws open). The Unshu-Geri technique [see image] is arranged such that the attacker’s legs are getting back to their default setting.
I’m sure the two physical examples I have given shortly for “conclusions” never started with considering that fact. Yet, I urge everybody to find their own conclusions. It can be as simple as understanding someone’s refusal to some change, or someone’s insistence on some technique.