There is something very significant happening in the world right now.  At this moment, it is appearing in Egypt.  For several days, there have been massive protests in Egypt, and it seems to be directly aimed at the Egyptian government.

Like most conflicts that happen in this world, it is not necessarily a black and white case of good vs. evil.  I’m sure there are different people protesting for different reasons.  Some of it may be a mob mentality.  Some may be demanding more government handouts.  But there is a real sense that a good portion of the mentality is that people are fed up with their brutal government.  This all came about in Egypt right on the heels of similar protests in Tunisia.

Overall, this could be a good thing for our future.  Of course, any violence that occurs from either side is wrong, unless it is purely in self defense.  It is hard to see how anyone on the side of the Egyptian government can claim self defense.  The biggest significance of what is happening in Egypt is that the mentality seems to be spreading.

There is an article on CNN (via Drudge) that says the Saudi king is slamming protesters in Egypt who seek to destabilize their country.  Of course, the Saudi government would say this because they are in the same position as Mubarak.  Hosni Mubarak has been the Egyptian president (really dictator) for nearly three decades and the only way he has been able to maintain power for so long is by backing from the U.S. government.  The same can be said for the Saudi family.

Courage is like a virus that can spread easily.  If the people in Saudi Arabia see a toppling of the government in Egypt, they might think it is more possible to topple their own.  Despite what you might hear from Sean Hannity, this is mostly not about radical Islam.  This is about oppressed people throwing off their brutal rulers.

It is hard to say what it would take in the U.S. for something like this to happen.  We have already seen the Tea Party in action, but things tend to be far less violent here, which is a very good thing.  Perhaps when people stop receiving their Social Security checks you will see millions of demonstrators in the streets.

This whole event is quite significant, not just because of Egypt, but because of the precedent it may be setting.  If we see something similar happen to Saudi Arabia, it will impact our economy and investments in a big way.  The situation in Egypt already, at least seemingly, caused gold and oil to spike on Friday.  If something starts happening in Saudi Arabia, watch for oil to shoot by $100 per barrel and way beyond.  Just the fear of a disruption in the oil supply will send prices soaring.

This whole thing could end up being a major part of history.  Just like the falling of the Berlin Wall was a precursor to the falling of the Soviet Union, this event in Egypt could lead to a toppling of a lot of thug dictators in the Middle East and elsewhere.  The U.S. government is in panic mode right now, even if the politicians are trying not to show it.  The U.S. government props up dictators all around the world (and we wonder why there is blowback in the form of terrorism) so that the dictators can bow to U.S. politicians.  These bribes (at U.S. taxpayer expense) may be coming to an end faster than we could have thought.

Let’s pray for peace in Egypt and elsewhere, but let’s also hope that the people can shrug off their rulers. Let’s also hope that the people there turn towards liberty and not towards another thug dictator.  Just as bad would be for them to think that democracy is the answer to their problems so that they can elect a thug as president.  They should seek decentralization and individual liberty.