The world today is like an exhausted body lying on a sickbed, worn out by the wounds of war and the relentless bleeding of injustice. It is torn apart by hands wielding the arrows of self-interest, while the soul struggles to breathe under the weight of pain, and the conscience wrestles between life and death. This is the Middle East, with Egypt as its heart, pulsating with life despite its afflictions; Palestine as its soul, refusing to break or retreat despite shackles and occupation; and Lebanon as its wounded yet living conscience, calling silently to the world not to abandon its humanity through inaction or court rulings.
Amid these cries, a comprehensive humanitarian renaissance appears as a revival of humanity's heart, soul, and conscience. It is not merely a civilizational project but a call to revive humanity and restore the values of compassion, justice, and kindness. It seeks to shape a future where such destruction will not recur. It is truly a call bearing within it hope that transcends crises and determination that does not falter in the face of suffering, which has become a shared burden on all of humanity.
The Essence of Renaissance: Redefining Humanity
There can be no renaissance without redefining humanity, the rightful bearer of protection and life. Humanity is the axis upon which any civilizational progress relies. Rising from the depths of today's global crises, humanity searches for its identity amidst the pressures of consumerism and global materialism, as moral values erode, making atrocities seem routine and leaving humanity as a mere spectator. This necessitates redefining humanity and shaping its active civilizational role. This role includes the capacity to create change and the belief that humanity's future can only be built by transcending individualism to become part of a community striving for justice, freedom, and collective good across all corners of the world. Redefining humanity begins with the recognition of its identity as an integrated being, carrying a mission that extends beyond personal boundaries to the community and the universe.
Once redefined, the responsibility toward humanity and future generations becomes evident. A person devoid of vision for future generations resembles one indulging in the present while neglecting their duty to confront crises and achieve global accomplishments. They must respond to challenges with the conviction that justice supersedes might, the land represents honor, roots, and identity, and life is a path of faith and calling. Through faith, life is sustained, and through a mission, one treads life’s paths with thought rooted in preserving identity and values, striving for change, renewal, and reform—individually, socially, and institutionally—toward comprehending the reality of existence and the essence of every being.
The Fiqh of Renaissance: Humanity First
The understanding of humanity and humaneness is the key to reform, righteousness, and the beginning of comprehensive renaissance. Its gateway lies in the fiqh (understanding) of the self, not indulgences; in awareness through knowledge and action; and in understanding responsibilities as a member of a broader society. This person can balance personal ambitions with social responsibilities, foremost among them supporting the rightful in every corner of the earth, such as in Palestine. Here, humanity recognizes the value of struggle and the power born from pain, with awareness and resilience to withstand economic, military, geopolitical, and global pressures. The struggle extends to neighbors in Lebanon, where blows to values of humanity and peaceful coexistence demand a review of global humanitarian value systems as a foundation for coexistence.
Revisiting Global Humanitarian Values
Revisiting the global humanitarian value system is a unifying force and a foundation for coexistence. It allows us to redefine humanity as the thread connecting all people, regardless of their diverse backgrounds, cultures, and religions. At its core are shared human values, led by justice, compassion, and cooperation. These values forge a world where relationships are not governed by competition for land, resources, and possessions but by a profound understanding of humaneness and its values. They serve as the basis for relationships among individuals and nations across the earth, creating a balanced global system that is competitive but not conflict-driven.
However, today's world order is marked by contention, fragmentation, rivalry, monopolization, and occupation, leaving devastating impacts on societies, dividing them into first- and third-world classifications. The "second" world either serves as a gap leading to downfall or a leap toward ascent. This situation renders the world closer to either a catastrophic war or a human renaissance. The latter would establish a new order based on justice, rights, and shared futures, where peoples' rights are respected, and international relations are built on understanding and dialogue rather than exploitation, arrogance, and conflict.
Evidence: Our Human Renaissance Starts in the Middle East
Palestine—the spirit that refuses to surrender. Since 1948, it has endured one of the longest human tragedies in modern history. More than 100,000 Palestinians have been martyred, and 6.56 million refugees live in the diaspora. The number of martyrs has risen to over 22,000 in Gaza since October 2023, including 9,000 children and 6,450 women. More than 1.9 million people have been displaced. Economic losses have exceeded $16 billion, with a near-total collapse of infrastructure, making Palestine a true test of humanity. It is not merely a political, economic, or social issue but embodies the values of truth and legislative justice.
Egypt, the heart weighed down by countless burdens, faces immense challenges that surpass endurance. Following a revolution that ignited hopes, a coup imposed new hardships on the nation. Economic turmoil has driven external debt beyond $165 billion, while inflation relentlessly devours families’ livelihoods. Food and medicine prices have soared to unprecedented levels, with over 30% of the population living in poverty. Properties have been confiscated, and assets, land, and airports sold. Additionally, more than 60,000 individuals from the country's elite—ministers, parliamentarians, experts, university professors, doctors, engineers, lawyers, and journalists—have been detained, alongside those pursued, forcibly disappeared, or exiled. Amid these tribulations, the Egyptian people remain resilient, bearing a legacy of challenge and seeking hope in a project to rebuild the nation and its people, ensuring a dignified life for every resident.
Lebanon, a living conscience that groans but refuses to perish, shows resilience in the face of the gravest crises. Once a symbol of cultural diversity and civilizational richness, it now battles for survival amidst an economic and political crisis since 2020. Its national currency has lost more than 90% of its value, and poverty rates have reached a record high of 82%. The Beirut port explosion marked a new chapter of tragedy, with the port destroyed, over 200 killed, and 6,500 injured, and economic losses exceeding $84 billion. As if this calamity were not enough, fires erupted again in October 2024, increasing the death toll to 3,768 and injuries to 15,699, with over 886,000 people displaced. Infrastructure losses are estimated at $2.8 billion, along with $1.1 billion in agricultural damages. Despite these disasters, Lebanon stands firm, bearing witness to the absence of human justice and symbolizing the resilience of a people fighting to reclaim their right to protection and life.
In Yemen, the war has claimed over 377,000 lives, while 17 million people face food insecurity. Syria surpasses Yemen with over 400,000 martyrs and 13 million displaced individuals. Meanwhile, Sudan has seen over 4 million people displaced, as the region continues to sink into the quagmire of wars.
Wars have taught us harsh lessons, bearing insights for those who grasp the perils of conflicts and the futility of strife. The global cost of war has been staggering.
In World War I (1914–1918), human losses reached approximately 20 million, including 10 million soldiers and 10 million civilians, with over 21 million injured and around 10 million displaced. Economic losses amounted to a total cost of approximately $208 billion—equivalent to $4.5 trillion today—along with widespread destruction of cities and infrastructure in Europe, especially in France and Belgium, where roads, railways, and entire cities were obliterated.
World War II (1939–1945) was even more devastating. Human losses rose to between 70 and 85 million, equating to 3% of the world’s population at that time, with around 25 million soldiers and 50 million civilians killed. The injured numbered about 35 million, with more than 60 million displaced. The war's economic cost was approximately $1.6 trillion, equivalent to $30 trillion today, alongside massive infrastructure losses. In Germany, 2.5 million homes were destroyed, with economic losses exceeding $270 billion. Entire cities in Japan, such as Hiroshima and Nagasaki, were destroyed by nuclear bombings. The Soviet Union lost over 25% of its production resources, and in Britain, most major cities, especially London, were heavily damaged, incurring economic losses of more than $25 billion.
Combined, the two world wars claimed over 100 million lives, injured over 56 million, and displaced hundreds of millions, with total economic losses exceeding $1.8 trillion at the time—equivalent to about $35 trillion today.
These figures are not mere statistics but a warning cry for humanity against the consequences of pursuing wars. They prove that armed conflicts do not bring peace but leave behind deep destruction and long-lasting repercussions. In contrast, the rebuilding experiences of nations like Japan and Germany demonstrate that true progress begins with investing in people before infrastructure. Peace and development are only achieved through determination, vision, and enlightened minds that place humanity at the center of every civilizational project.
As we look to the future, we must realize that while wars are a harsh lesson, human advancement remains the only choice for shaping a better future for humanity, far from destruction and the brutality of conflict.
Humanity at a Crossroads
The world stands at a pivotal moment, where crises present two choices: construction or destruction. The project of comprehensive human renaissance is not merely a vision born of suffering but an existential necessity demanding collective will and shared responsibility.
The Path Forward: Human Renaissance
Envisioning a human renaissance is not an impossible dream but a scientific and practical project that redefines the global order based on truth, freedom, justice, and cooperation. It seeks to balance individuals with communities, humanity with nature.
This comprehensive renaissance begins with education and awareness as tools for change, promotes social and economic justice, and harnesses technology for the betterment of humanity. Establishing a global system founded on human values, with justice and dialogue at its core, is the cornerstone of this endeavor.
In a call to the world’s wise and conscientious minds, this is an invitation to respond to the call of human renaissance. It is not merely a vision but a necessity to rescue humanity from an uncertain destiny, compelling a return to values that make life freer, fairer, and more humane.
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- A Strategic Project Management Expert.
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