“It is not only through the intellect that man rises. If the clarified intellect is not supported by purified emotions, the intellect tends to be dominated by the body and put itself at the service and the lordship of the body over the whole man becomes more dangerous than in the natural state because the innocence of the natural state is lost.” — Sri Aurobindo
Why do people see their intellect as a curse? Because it turns on them.
Without clear, useful emotions, the intellect goes into overdrive, creating hopeless scenarios and distorting reality. As a result, they either end up paralyzed or doing things that harm them in the long term.
Such people become their own worst enemies.
That is why sages consider the development of emotion as the first condition of human evolution. When emotions evolve, we can think and act based on the situation and time. We can direct our cognitive faculties towards love, action, and gaining knowledge—the threefold dharma of humankind.
When intellect and emotion are in sync is when we become intelligent. And that is a blessing.