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 Aritficial 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 chosenness, 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 religiousity (not religion), fundamentalism, and extremism are harmful to peace and coexistance. 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.
But what are the tools of activism: confronting oppressor, building, love? We struggle of how to organize, how to write, how to convince people of what is good for them and for the planet. We each come to somewhat different conclusions about best ways to act. 22 years ago, my writing on this subject was a bit more confident (see for example https://qumsiyeh.org/chapter13/). Now in my older age, I am a bit more reflective and a bit less sure humans can be rational or can have that better future. What changed me was not just age but also seeing first hand the unimaginable horrors of the last three years. I tried to share some examples.
Pending better answers, I personally split my time now roughly 60% to building institutions that serve human and natural communities (our Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability palestinenature.org among other ways to support people and nature) and 40% to challenging systems of oppression. To do both areas requires digesting a lot of sad information and many of my readers (55,000 people) comment on how I find time to gather all the links and info for the posts I have been sending (about two a week for the past 30 years). It is overwhelming (volunteering 15 hours a day, seven days a week, no time-off). They ask how I keep my sanity considering this knowledge. The answer is that I am neither sane nor adjusted to the volume of work I must do. But the children here around us and the daily contact with friends in Gaza and around the world among many things push us forward even when the old body demands some sleep time or the mind demands at least some time to digest and plan better. The urgency of the situation drives us. No perfect answers or good "solutions" but a drive to press on.
From a friend's post
"The lack of food in G@S@ is now critical. Starvation has begun in areas. Remember, now 60% of G@S@ has shrunk and the land stolen. This is what colonialism looks like. Absolutely NO regard for human life and suffering.
https://youtu.be/eLsX-fGVM1E
https://youtu.be/ZAufRb0doTo
Here’s Bisan Owda on life in G@S@, but this is at least a week old.
Pending better answers, I personally split my time now roughly 60% to building institutions that serve human and natural communities (our Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability palestinenature.org among other ways to support people and nature) and 40% to challenging systems of oppression. To do both areas requires digesting a lot of sad information and many of my readers (55,000 people) comment on how I find time to gather all the links and info for the posts I have been sending (about two a week for the past 30 years). It is overwhelming (volunteering 15 hours a day, seven days a week, no time-off). They ask how I keep my sanity considering this knowledge. The answer is that I am neither sane nor adjusted to the volume of work I must do. But the children here around us and the daily contact with friends in Gaza and around the world among many things push us forward even when the old body demands some sleep time or the mind demands at least some time to digest and plan better. The urgency of the situation drives us. No perfect answers or good "solutions" but a drive to press on.
From a friend's post
"The lack of food in G@S@ is now critical. Starvation has begun in areas. Remember, now 60% of G@S@ has shrunk and the land stolen. This is what colonialism looks like. Absolutely NO regard for human life and suffering.
https://youtu.be/eLsX-fGVM1E
https://youtu.be/ZAufRb0doTo
Here’s Bisan Owda on life in G@S@, but this is at least a week old.
One of five events I participated in for Nakba Day remembrance https://youtu.be/lDjU89H914c
The flotilla activists have been returned to the West, and the stories they’re telling about what they endured in only 48 hours are shocking.
Even sexual assault!
A commentary on western "civilization"
Albanese interviewed by Miko Peled: link
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