A boss demands more effort at work, pushing deadlines further while stretching patience thinner. On the road, a reckless driver cuts you off, igniting a moment of rage that dissipates just as quickly. At home, a lover yearns for more time, affection, and validation. We fight These battles daily—small skirmishes won and lost, grudges formed, truces negotiated.
Wars rage all around us all the time, but the most brutal war is the one fought within.
It’s change hesitation, the resistance to step forward into the unknown and taking a chance. It’s the fear of losing what’s familiar even when it no longer serves us. The greatest enemy is not the boss, the driver, or the demanding lover—it is the voice in our head that whispers doubt and feeds our insecurities.
Nobody sees these battles. We smile, nod, and go about our day, but beneath the surface, we are warriors locked in combat with ourselves. Should I quit this job? Should I leave this relationship? Should I take a risk, admit a truth, or expose a weakness? The weight of these decisions crushes more than any external conflict ever could.
And for some, that internal war becomes unbearable.
They carry their battles in silence, never revealing the turmoil within. They smile at dinner, respond politely to emails, and wave at neighbours, all while their inner war tears them apart. Some endure. Others don’t.
If only we could see these silent struggles in others. If only we could recognise the exhaustion in a friend’s eyes, hear the uncertainty in their voice, or sense the burden they carry. Perhaps then, we would wage fewer external wars and lend our strength to those fighting within.
Because, in the end, the most brutal fight is not against the world—it is against ourselves. And winning that battle, even for a single day, is a victory worth acknowledging.
I wrote about my internal battles and turned them into a book. It’s now available for download (and free) for a limited time. It was written to expose the world no one else could see or understand. Let me say it’s not a cliche, but I’m sure it’s more common than most would admit.
Fortunately, I escaped my war and lived to tell the story.
-Michael
Discover more from Michael Forman – Author of Dark Fiction & Drama
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