Curse of the Intellectual

TRANSCEND MEMBERS, 25 May 2026

Mazin Qumsiyeh | Popular Resistance – TRANSCEND Media Service

24 May 2026 – There is a curse for a thinking person . It is a double curse if that thinking person is also afflicted with the (some would say naive) idea that he/she can help the world to a better future (less suffering, peace, sustainability etc). The activist addiction to work is the believe that he/she can change circumstances and that working towards sustainable human and natural communities is a duty (sustainable planet). Yet, it is difficult to keep consistent positive attitude knowing how close we are to an unlivable planet due to climate change, habitat destruction, pollution, over-exploitation of resources, invasive species.

This is the curse of knowledge. This is not to mention how close we are to a catastrophic global war: the US alone, the most warring nation on earth, has enough weapons to destroy humanity and is about to increase its war chest spending to $1.5 Trillion per year. In the interim, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. For me personally, the detailed knowledge and data I read on these matters (thousands of books and tens of thousands of articles just in the past 5 years) can be overwhelming.

How do we reconcile facts of genocide, ecocide, scholasticide, medicide, veriticide and indeed omnicide in the 21st century? The apathy of millions and the collusion of governments under lobbies? The relentless public relations lies and distortions dehumanizing victims and blaming them for their own misery. The easier availability of data for example via Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (with all its faults) can compound the challenge for the thinking mind. Part of the problem for us scientists is that we understand a bit about the human evolution and human frailty. People are driven by their background and upbringing including their biases, blind spots, and misdirected energy. That is why we admire people who manage to break away from damaging ideas like ideas o choosiness, racism, Zionism, colonialism, capitalistic greed and more.

We read the writings of such brave souls looking for clues as to how and why they managed to break free of the chains and bonds their society imposed on their brains. We also wonder if things are predestined to work as they have worked historically rather than our wishful thinking and actions. For example was it inevitable that some Jews moved towards humanism and some moved towards Zionism (and why the difference). Similarly, is it inevitable that some Muslims moved towards Islamism while other to humanism. Were Nazism, Capitalism, Crusaderism and Christian Nationalism inevitable human phenomena? And if we academic and intellectual activists arrive at certain logical conclusions about what is good for peace and sustainability, then how do we advocate for it?

For example, 50 years of knowledge a belief I had that religiosity (not religion), fundamentalism, and extremism are harmful to peace and coexistence. I wrote a book called “Sharing the Land of Canaan” published 2004. But how do you convince secular Israelis and secular Palestinians that their interests are to work together against Zionism and fundamentalism and towards one democratic state? And if we are unable to convince those, what hope is there for changing the fundamentalists? I with interns/volunteers wrote many research papers, some of them are relevant to this: for example we wrote papers on liberation from mental colonization (both for the oppressor population as well as the oppressed/occupied people). Some read and few change. And sometimes change is regressive: for example more and more people in Western Asia/our region have moved towards irrational religiosity and away from logic. It is not difficult also to see how Zionism and colonialism engendered religious fundamentalism.

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One Response to “Curse of the Intellectual”

1. Hoosen Vawda says:

   26 May 2026 at 09:57

   Open Letter to The Editorial Board and Contributors of Transcend Media Service
   Subject: A Respectful Appeal for Collective Moral Agency Beyond Commentary and TMS Publications.
   Dear Esteemed Professors, Senior Members and Founders of Global Peace Organisations, Editorial Board Members, Scholars, “Moral Heirarchists” and Contributors to Transcend Media Service.
   I read your publications in the recent issues of TMS, noting a thread of commonality expressed in support of the ongoing plight of Palestinians. I commend your stance. Thank you for accepting my second appeal, appended as an open plea, to engage in a collective effort to highlight the problem of ongoing suffering, torture and genocide of 72,764+ Palestinians, with over 10,000 reportedly vapourised by the collective allies of Israel. The global silence is indeed abysmal, in this major humanitarian crisis of the 21st century.
   With humility and deep respect for the intellectual legacy of TMS, founded on the principles of peace journalism and the visionary work of Professor Johan Galtung (MHSRIEP), I write to you as a fellow contributor, committed to the shared pursuit of justice, dignity, peace and global harmony. I trust that in your frenetic schedules you will kindly read this document with good intentions.
   Recent reports published within TMS, including those addressing the plight of flotilla activists and the ongoing suffering of Palestinian civilians, reflect the moral clarity and courage that have long defined this platform. These contributions illuminate injustice with scholarly rigour and human compassion.
   Yet, I write today with a gentle but earnest question:
   Can we, as a community, move from witnessing to collective moral action?
   In March 2026, I submitted a draft memorandum proposing that TMS, as a body of globally respected thinkers and “Titans of Peace Propagation” consider endorsing an urgent humanitarian appeal to the United Nations. The intention was not to impose unanimity, but to explore whether our shared ethical commitments might find expression in a unified call for:
   • immediate ceasefire measures,
   • protection of civilians,
   • The targeted killings of journalists
   • Blatant violations of the different Geneva Conventions
   • accountability under international law,
   • and renewed multilateral engagement through the United Nations system.
   I fully appreciate that TMS is not traditionally an advocacy institution, and that editorial independence is essential to its integrity. However, I respectfully submit that:
   There are moments in history when moral scholarship may justifiably seek a collective voice.
   The events currently unfolding, whether involving flotilla activists, civilian populations, or broader regional instability in the Middle East, pose profound challenges not only to international law, but to our shared humanity.
   I wish to clarify that this appeal is not a criticism of editorial decisions, nor an expectation of institutional uniformity. Rather, it is an invitation:
   An invitation to individual conscience
   Should a collective institutional endorsement be impractical, perhaps an alternative path may be considered:
   • voluntary endorsement of the memorandum by individual contributors,
   • publication of parallel perspectives exploring actionable peace mechanisms,
   • or informal cooperation toward engaging established UN humanitarian channels.
   TMS has long illuminated the path toward peace.
   Might it now, in some form, help to gently walk that path together?
   I remain deeply grateful, appreciative and indebted for the platform TMS provides, under the editorial baton of the long serving and esteemed Professor Antonio Carlos Siva Rosa, as well as for the tireless efforts of its editorial Board and contributors. My intention is not to burden, but to contribute, however modestly, to the living tradition of peace through scholarship and ethical engagement, which forms the very basic tenets of peace propagation, as initiated by the late Professor Johan Galtung (MHSRIEP)
   With respect, sincerity, solidarity and hope,
   Hoosen Vawda
   Peace Propagator
   Durban, South Africa
   Global: + 27 82 291 4546
   e-mail: vawda@ukzn.ac.za
   Dated: Tuesday 26th May 2026
   Reference: TMS/Cont/26052026/RHV1

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