As 2011 ends, its time to take stock. Perhaps more is at stake today than ever before. Our world is changing monumentally. From the Kyoto Accord to the EU split, from the Arab Spring to austerity protests in Europe, the world seems topsy turvy.

Though I do not pay much heed to it, I have to also mention TIME magazine’s declaration today that their Person Of The Year is The Protestor.

I think that this glamorous title needs some perspective. Why is it that this is the year of the protestor. How is it that 2011 came to be that year, and what do we take away from it?

I feel like I may be reverting back to my rhetoric of old when I say that it is clear that our world is coming apart at the seams. We are the cusp, or perhaps we have already jumped of a mountain. Does it not seem that everywhere we look, everywhere we turn, there are people who are expressing their dissatisfaction with the state of affairs? Have we had enough? Have we truly been pushed so far that we leave the comforts of our homes and march down streets in numbers never seen before to declare, Basta! Enough!

From Athens to London, Cairo to Tunis, Aden to Damascus, Ben Ghazi to Tripoli, New York to Moscow - people are rising up. Sure, its not everyone. Sure, its not even even one sixth of the global population, but in doesn’t take much. It didn’t take much. What army can hold back such a show of force? Who can challenge the might of the people?

2011 gave us a clear answer- use that pepper spray, use those bullets (rubber or otherwise), use your tanks, your water pipes, your servicemen or your merceneries - all methods are welcome, because all methods are useless. We are here, we are fighting, in our own ways, on our own terms, and we will bring change.

This is not the year of the protestor. This is the year of the awakening. The system stacked against us is faulty, it is bleeding us dry, it is mincing us raw, and we have been pushed far enough now to push back. I will bring my child to the protest, I will invite my grandmother too.

Viva la revolucion, bitches.

… 21st century style. The darling of western governments deposed. Running away because his grip on power is gone. Air traffic controllers giving live updates on a fleeing president’s whereabouts, modern day exiles returning home triumphant, police officers and protesters hugging and crying together. Arabic-speaking elderly women shouting at the top of their voices: OUT OUT OUT! YALLA, OUT! Interim unity governments broken down within hours. Arab governments left pondering matters quietly. TV stations left amazed at unfolding events. Tyrants, dictators and corrupt leaders everywhere glued to their screens watching this moment hoping to look into their own futures. Domino theories resurrected. Fear of all-out rebellions placated. Murmurs of uprisings in Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Morocco, Libya, and Algeria. North Africa left contemplating its future. Snipers on top of government buildings. 78 Tunisians dead. Twitter and social media used as weapons. History professors crying at the top of their lungs, “This is history, this is happening now, this is unprecedented, this will be written about, this is a milestone, this could be an impetus, this is a precursor…”. All words seem pale. Tears of joy and screams of ecstasy. Red flags waving high. Fingers stretched proudly to form a V. The hope, the want, the need for freedom- fulfilled. Amidst the cacophony of screams, news reports, tales of woe and joy, amongst it all, one word screamed louder than all others, one word echoing from the hilltops and into homes everywhere. Revolution.

Watch out. Its coming to a neighborhood near you.