We find a lot of inspiration in people whose battles are out there on the news or those that have gone viral on social media. We admire them and often have to keep tissue boxes close as their stories touch our hearts in many ways. We love hearing about their recovery and comebacks. But, have you heard about the conqueror whose battles are top-secret? No one knows how he won or how he overthrew the enemy but he did.
In world history, I’ve read about war strategists like Napoleon Bonaparte, Alexander the Great, and Genghis Khan. I’m still amazed by the intelligence and mental strength they showed as they overcame their battles. However, I also wonder what their nameless warriors or soldiers could have become had they lived on or had they been promoted? Those soldiers who were placed at the forefront of the battle to lure the enemy – what greater deeds could they have achieved?
In today’s world, the nameless soldiers whose faces we don’t know of are similar to people who fight invisible battles. These people conquer battles every day that they don’t post on social media or do not get caught on camera. There’s rarely a witness to their bravery and strength, which is why they become nameless and die with not a tinge of the same honor that other “greater” warriors are given.
If you’re someone who has battles no one knows of and yet you continue to be a good person, helping others in your own, simple ways, you’re a nameless victor to the world but you’re an angel in the eyes of the people you’ve helped. If you do all the things you do without searching for something to gain, you’re a victor to the people who’ve been alleviated because of your good deeds. If you fight battles on your own without asking for help because you don’t want to worry others, you’re already a victor in the eyes of the heavens that rewards those who refuse to give up in a graceful way.
Every person has had a victory and I truly admire those whose stories give strength to others. However, none can compare to the restoration of faith in humanity I feel each time I see a victor whose battles are invisible to the world…
A.N. Basil
(Photo: J.M. Harrington/Nefasdicere, Wikimedia Commons)
The Basil Effect 