SCARS AND SHADOWS THE BATTLE WITHIN

“War is not only fought on the battlefield; it's fought in the mind, in the heart, and in the soul.”

- BY ABHREKHA JAIN SAHLOT

We often imagine war as gunfire, bloodshed, and battle cries. But some wars don't make headlines. Some play out in silence—within the walls of a mind at war with itself. They're the wars we fight with guilt, regret, and the haunting echoes of “what if.” And sometimes, the enemy is not a nation or a stranger—it’s the reflection staring back at us.

I've fought such a war.

We all have chapters we don’t read out loud. I know I do. There are decisions I made when I was barely holding myself together. Not because they were perfect or popular—but because in that moment, they were my only survival. I still get flashes—those uncomfortable pangs of “could I have done better?” Maybe I could have. But I did what I thought was right. Maybe it wasn’t right for the world, but it was real to me.

And that’s not ego. That’s honesty.

The Quiet Conflict