If you’ve been living under a rock for the last three weeks, welcome back. We missed you. There are some really interesting things going on in the world including, but not limited to, the recent appearance of a democratic zygote in Egypt.

Armed with little more than inspirationally-large quantities of gumption and fleeting connectivity to the outside world, the proletariat of Egypt is rising up against the nearly 30-year rule of authoritarian president Hosni Mubarak. Why is this important? We see Middle Eastern leaders with goofy names removed from or placed in office almost daily it seems.

What is different and important about Egypt is the possibility of a relatively peaceful transfer of power; in part facilitated by widespread use of social media. The next time you look up from your book of faces and realize you’ve wasted three hours, understand that halfway across the world Egyptians are changing their lives and writing their own history in Facebook and Twitter posts. But not MySpace. MySpace sucks.

Egyptians want democracy. They want to know their voice will not only be heard, but will matter and make a difference. Don’t we all?

We saw protesters and military stand side by side for 17 days during mass protests without a full-fledged civil war breaking out. I don’t care what anyone says, the restraint displayed on both sides should serve as a model to future protesters and despots alike that there can be a way out.

Democracy is not an easy thing to come by. At its very core, it means usurping the power of one or a few, and distributing that power to many. And powerful people do not give up their station in life without resistance.

I hope we can see a peaceful transition of power in Egypt from the few to the many. Perhaps this would serve as the “beacon of democracy” we in the U.S. have been shooting for, for so long. And no, that wasn’t a pun.

Unilateral or hell, even multi-lateral invasions under the guise of spreading democracy do not work. No government will ever be formed of, by and for the people if that government is the idea of a bunch foreign military personnel and policy wonks.

Mubarak has been asked nicely to leave office immediately. It’s unlikely that will happen. He has pledged to step down when his current term expires in September. This could help keep relative stability or piss people off enough that violent ouster is seen as the only way forward.

The whole affair leaves so many more questions than answers. The only sure thing is that a year from now, Mubarak will not be the president of Egypt; whether of his own volition or because he’ll be missing the two most important qualifying characteristics of any leader: being alive and not in exile.

Can a large enough group of Egyptians come together and form a functional, representative government? Will the general peace be kept until such a time when new leaders can be legitimately elected? Will the U.S., Western Allies and every other country with a dog in this fight stay the hell out and let the Egyptian people define their own future?

To think the U.S. will not play a significant role in this situation, regardless of the outcome, is an infantile notion. Egyptian military officers have received extensive training in and from the U.S. We provide that country with nearly one-third of its annual military budget. However, the reaction from our military leaders has been pleasantly subdued. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has gone oh so far as to call the Egyptian army “professional.”

Will we finally sit one out in the Middle East; in as far as one can “sit out” when providing training and billions of dollars in military money, that is?

Democracy can’t be ordered. It cannot be bought. It cannot be traded for. It must be earned by those with the best ideas for the most people. Only when a truly free marketplace of ideas is present can democracy develop and thrive.

Nothing but time will tell if conditions are truly ripe for democracy in Egypt. I’ve got my fingers crossed. We’re witnessing history before our eyes and through our Twitter accounts no matter how it ends. For the sake of the millions of Egyptians who have felt unrepresented and marginalized for the last three decades, I hope history is written in their favor. And if they do win, it’s going to take a lot more than 140 characters to write it.