Egypt hit a Tipping Point a few weeks ago and almost nobody saw it coming.  If you remember Malcolm Gladwell’s book not seeing it coming is one of the defining things about a tipping point.

One lesson we can get from Egypt and Gladwell’s book Tipping Point is that after a tipping point it is not possible to get back to where you were.  Change has happened.

A lesson from the Egyptian crisis for those who want social change: “Be organized, and be ready.”  When the old order collapses there is a time of uncertainty those with visibility and organization will be best positioned to effect the change they want.  It is to late to organize when the tipping point is reached and you cannot know where the tipping point is in advance.

Three quotes to consider:

“Organizing for freedom is always harder than organizing against oppression.”

Jose Maria Aznar

Former Prime Minister of Spain

“For sixty years, the United States pursued stability at the expense of democracy in the Middle East, and we achieved neither.”

Condoleezza Rice

“The United States should not support anyone who stays in power more than twelve years.”

Simon Burrow

Click Here to see the Twelve Year Rule.