Overlooked warriors

In this world of competition, we are all racing and fighting. It is not only considered acceptable but also healthy. It is what makes life…life. Everyone accepts the challenge.

We try to keep it fair. And life goes on. There are helping hands available for those who can’t reasonably join the tussle or are hit by crippling circumstances. However, some among us fight invisible battles. Battles that go unnoticed. Battles that are dismissed. Battles that are not acknowledged. I am talking about the silent warriors amongst us. And so a rather supportive society cuts them of deserving aid.

These warriors battle every day. They battle to keep themselves up—to stay alive. They battle with pain. They cry as they battle. Against a controlling ally that has gone haywire—their minds. Family and friends have no idea how hard they battle, because mostly, these internal battles keeps them isolated. They are so focused on battling, yet every day feels like defeat. Life is battle already, yet beside the battles with their minds, almost unarmed, they have to battle these giants too; social stigma, widespread ignorance and general apathy.

A warrior’s daily battles

Waking out of bed is a whole battle on its own. And with that chain ball tied to her feet, she went about her day, expected to give as much as everyone. The thought process of fixing mundane tasks puts her haywire mind in a perplexing and overwhelming whirlpool. She has so much to juggle and a hump of expectation to shoulder. There is so much at stake for her. A weary wrestling warrior expected to wallow under a ton of weight. She barely holds her head out of the watery grave, struggling to sniff in a breath. It is hard to explain how she even manages to fake smiles in an effort to conceal the smog hanging over her and how she spits out ‘I am fine’ better than a five-year-old. In truth, she is both self and socially stigmatized. One is the fault of her condition; it tells her she is worthless. And the other is an ignorant society.

She doesn’t want to let the people around her down. They say it is selfish if she does. However, in her mind she knows her selflessness is a hefty price, and yet it goes unnoticed. She is the looked-over warrior. She fights wounded and yet there isn’t a hand to pick her up. She is the lone warrior. She is at breaking point and yet she is at the frontline every morning. She is the lethargic warrior. If only they knew about her demons. But how would they? They silenced her before she has a chance. They drew a line she can’t cross. She really has no choice. They say, fight or lose. Actually, it’s fight or die. Because the battle is against another notorious enemy—suicidal ideations.

A world of neglected warriors

Millions are living this narrative—walking dead, in our colleges, our neighbourhoods, our churches and our offices. They have been fighting to this unbelievable point, weak inside and with tears welling their eyes before bed almost every after-wake. They are strong against the social structures but weak against themselves. Weak to their overbearing and overpowering minds. It is shameful that the support systems are blind to their battles. The structures that need to help them win the war—family, friends and federals. It’s a losing and fatal battle. So yes, they are warriors, but they can’t expectedly fight alone by themselves. They are warriors but they still need us fighting with them—fighting for them.

However, unreasonably, these warriors have been left to battle on two herculean fronts. I wouldn’t say unfairly, because the world isn’t a fair place and I don’t expect it to be. These warriors are fighting on their own with no one sensing the urgency in their plight… in a world that boasts of its humanity and solidarity. That’s why after more than a century since the first activist raised concerns about their battles, they are still fighting. So yes, they are the warriors in our midst.

Pledge your support to mental health today

Untreated mental health problems account for 13% of the total global burden of disease with an estimated 450 million people currently suffering from such conditions and 800,000 taking their lives annually (90% caused by mental health conditions), yet mental health is often neglected and underfunded. By 2030, mental health conditions (particularly depression) will be the leading cause of mortality and morbidity and it will cost the global economy $16 trillion.

The world must act now.