War has been a part of human history for thousands of years. Kingdoms fought kingdoms. Countries fought countries. Even people living in the same nation have fought each other.

But one question never goes away:

What is the point of war?

Every war starts with a reason. A country wants to protect itself. Another wants more land. Some fight for freedom. Others fight for power, revenge, or beliefs.

At the beginning, every side thinks it is doing the right thing.

But as the war goes on, something changes.

People do things they would never imagine doing in normal life. Cities are destroyed. Families lose their homes. Children lose their parents. Soldiers lose their friends. Many people who survive carry the pain for the rest of their lives.

The goal is to win.

But what does winning really mean?

If thousands of people are dead, if families are broken, and if children grow up without their parents, can anyone truly say they have won?

History remembers who won the battle.

People remember who they lost.

This doesn’t mean every war is pointless. Sometimes people have no choice but to fight. Some wars have been fought to stop cruel rulers or to defend a country from being invaded.

But even when the reason is right, the cost is always high.

After the fighting ends, the world starts rebuilding. Roads are repaired. Buildings are rebuilt. Borders may change.

But some things can never be rebuilt.

A child cannot get their father back.

A mother cannot bring back her son.

A family cannot replace the person they loved.

These are the real costs of war.

Maybe that is why war is one of the greatest tragedies of humanity. It may solve one problem, but it creates many others.

When we look at history, we often focus on the victories.

Maybe we should spend more time thinking about the empty chairs at dinner tables, the people who never came home, and the families whose lives changed forever.

Because in the end, the true story of war is not about who won.

It is about what everyone lost.

I want success. I seek validation. I keep thinking that everyone is watching me, judging me, and noticing every step I take. Because of this fear, I hesitate and stop myself from taking action.

But what is the truth? The truth is that people are mostly concerned about themselves — their own lives, their own problems, their own fears, and their own goals. We create an illusion in our minds that everyone is constantly paying attention to us, when in reality, most people are focused on themselves.

The question is: why do we keep running after this illusion? Instead of being trapped by the fear of judgment, we should find what we truly like and move forward freely. When we accept things as they are, stop overthinking, and stop giving too much importance to what others might think, a path starts to become clearer.

There are many things inside me that I want to express, but I do not confront them or bring them out. Maybe that is the only thing holding me back — not the judgment of others, but my own fear of expressing myself.

And again, I don’t know. Many people do want to do good, and some step forward to make a difference, but eventually they get tired. And why wouldn’t they? Because everything seems to have some selfishness involved in it.

I also think that everything starts from childhood. One possibility is that when a child is either overly pampered or not given enough attention, it can affect how they grow. When a child is pampered too much, they may become stubborn, unwilling to accept their mistakes, arguing without reason, and constantly seeking validation. Later in life, this need for validation can turn into a desire for power, and eventually into cruelty.

And this also makes me question democracy. A person is given the responsibility of leading and making decisions for lakhs of people, and this amount of power can sometimes make them corrupt. So I wonder, is there a way out of this? What can be done?

I believe social media can be a powerful tool for growth. When someone sees others taking care of their health, learning new skills, building projects, or working towards their goals, they often feel inspired to improve themselves as well. This creates a positive cycle of learning and self-development.

In urban areas, many people have started exploring new ideas and opportunities. However, there is still a great deal of scope for improvement in rural and marginalized communities. Education remains the key to unlocking people's potential and ensuring that everyone can benefit from the opportunities available today.

Because of these changes, I believe India is at a blooming point in its development. We have a young population, greater access to knowledge than ever before, and a generation that is increasingly eager to learn, create, and contribute. If we continue to invest in education, encourage innovation, and ensure that progress reaches every section of society, we could witness remarkable and commendable change in the years ahead.

This is one of the best times to take action and work towards making the world a better place.

I often wonder whether human beings are better at seeing the world or at avoiding themselves.

Most of us think we want the truth. We say we value honesty and self-awareness. Yet when it comes to looking at our own fears, ambitions, insecurities, and contradictions, we often look away.

Sometimes we hide behind beliefs.

Sometimes we hide behind success.

Sometimes we hide behind dreams about who we think we are.

And sometimes we hide behind stories.

The more I observe people and society, the more I notice how powerful stories can be. They shape how we see ourselves, how we see others, and even what we consider right and wrong.

This becomes especially visible when power, ideology, money, or status enter the picture.

History is full of examples of people harming others in the name of a cause, a belief, a nation, a religion, or personal ambition. Often they do not see themselves as villains. In their own minds, they are doing what is necessary. The story they tell themselves makes their actions seem justified.

That is what makes ideology so powerful.

It can give people purpose, belonging, and certainty. But when attachment to an idea becomes stronger than compassion, people can stop seeing the human cost of their actions.

The same can happen with power and wealth.

The desire for more rarely ends with "enough." It becomes a cycle that keeps feeding itself. And in that cycle, people may lose touch with the simple qualities that make life meaningful—kindness, empathy, humility, and goodness.

What fascinates me is that these patterns do not only exist in politics or history.

They appear in movies, public narratives, social media, and even everyday conversations.

We often turn complex situations into simple stories. We create heroes and villains. We choose sides. We defend our group. We repeat narratives that make us feel comfortable.

Sometimes these stories are true.

Sometimes they are not.

But if a story is repeated often enough, it can begin to feel like reality.

This is why propaganda is not only a political phenomenon. It can exist anywhere people stop questioning the stories they believe.

The question, then, is not whether propaganda exists.

It does.

The deeper question is whether we can see the stories operating within our own minds.

Can we notice the beliefs that shape our perceptions?

Can we question the narratives that make us feel certain?

Can we look at ourselves honestly without immediately defending what we find?

Perhaps that is where real freedom begins.

Not in choosing a different ideology.

Not in finding a better hero.

But in seeing clearly.

Because when we see clearly, compassion becomes more important than certainty, understanding becomes more important than winning, and truth becomes more important than the stories we tell ourselves.

And maybe that is one of the most difficult—and most important—things a human being can do.

I've often wondered why some ideas stay with us long after a conversation ends.

Sometimes a discussion can make us think, but music, films, stories, and literature can reach places within us that ordinary arguments cannot. They do not simply tell us what to think. They allow us to experience something, and in that experience, we often discover truths for ourselves.

Songs like Kun Faya Kun and Rangrez have always felt much deeper than just songs to me.

When I listen to Kun Faya Kun, it feels like a person asking God to free him from ego, confusion, and pain. It feels like a longing to be released from everything that keeps him trapped within himself. The song gives me the sense that Allah, God, or whatever name we choose to give the divine, already exists within us. Yet we often lose our connection with that inner truth because of fear, social pressure, expectations, and the countless distractions of life.

The song feels less like a search for something outside ourselves and more like a return to something that was always there.

Rangrez gives me a similar feeling. It feels like a prayer to be coloured completely by the divine, to have the false layers created by society, expectations, and conditioning washed away. It is not simply a request for change from the outside. It feels like a desire to become fully truthful, authentic, and connected to something pure within oneself.

This makes me think about how people change.

We often assume that change happens when someone is presented with the right facts or the strongest argument. But many of our beliefs are shaped by years of conditioning. They become part of how we see ourselves and the world. Because of this, direct arguments can sometimes make people defensive rather than reflective.

Stories and art often work differently.

Instead of attacking a belief, they invite us into another perspective. They allow us to feel what someone else feels. They help us see parts of ourselves that we might otherwise ignore.

I was reminded of this while thinking about Dead Poets Society. In the film, the students slowly begin to think for themselves instead of blindly accepting the rules and expectations placed upon them. They start questioning what success, freedom, and meaning truly mean.

Neil Perry's story is especially powerful because it shows how a person can discover freedom internally while still feeling trapped by external pressures. He understands something important about himself, yet the structures around him leave little room for that truth to exist.

That tension feels deeply human.

Many people know what feels true within them, yet struggle to live according to it because of family expectations, social norms, fear, or the need for approval.

This is why I continue to feel hopeful about the power of art, stories, music, and literature.

Even in a world shaped by prejudice, conditioning, and division, one honest conversation, one poem, one film, one story, or one song can sometimes make a person see life differently.

Perhaps truth, goodness, and virtue continue to survive not because they are forced upon people, but because they keep finding new ways to speak to the human heart.

And sometimes a song can do that better than an argument ever could.

When we see unfair things happening in the world, it is natural to feel angry or sad. It shows that we care.

But if we are not careful, that anger can slowly turn into bitterness. We begin to think that nothing will ever change, and we lose hope.

One thing that helps is trying to understand people instead of only judging them. Many people who do wrong things have their own fears, struggles, and reasons. Understanding them does not mean agreeing with them. It simply helps us see the bigger picture.

The real danger is cynicism—the belief that everything is bad and that change is impossible. Cynicism takes away our energy and our idealism.

Instead of getting stuck in anger, we can focus on action. It is good to have big dreams, but big dreams become real only when we break them into small steps. What can I do this year? This month? Today?

When we take small actions, we start trusting ourselves. We stop feeling helpless and start feeling hopeful.

There will be days when we feel tired or discouraged. On those days, it helps to take a walk, go for a run, or simply spend some time away from the problem.

The world is not perfect. But it can become better, little by little, through the actions of people who care.

The goal is not to get rid of anger. The goal is to turn it into understanding, action, and hope.