When I was very little, I can remember seeing some people holding up the peace sign. In a time when the war in Viet Nam was pulling the country apart my uncle and his friends, would espouse peace and love.
I also remember my mom, who spoke english as a second language, when asking about the spelling of a word " do you mean V as in victory, or B as in boy?" and she would hold up the peace sign. Finally, one day I said something along the lines of "you know, when you hold up your fingers in the sign of the V you're really holding up a peace sign."
She smiled at me and said it was fine if I thought it was a peace sign, but to her, it was the sign of Victory. She remembered, as a child herself, seeing newspaper photos of Winston Churchill holding up his fingers in the sing of Victory; saying to the world that while England may be on the ropes, there is no doubt that victory was ahead.
Seeing the throngs of people in Egypt holding up the V sign reminded me of my mom. And it made me reflect that the tenants of freedom, of liberty that a people strive for are timeless, and whatever the symbols they use, the meaning behind them is universal. The right of the people to govern themselves.
Let's hope the aftermath lives up to the expectations of those who now taste liberty.
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