Not all battles are worth fighting…
I was reflecting on a conversation I had with some really good friends. I was telling them about a strange experience I had with a deeply corrupted—almost criminal—company. I can honestly say I’ve seen some of the darkest sides of this world… not that the world is only bad, but to truly change things, we must first be willing to face them without fearing the reflection.
Seeing the world as it is—not as we think it is, or wish it were.
Anyway, back to that company (which I can’t name for obvious reasons). I was telling my friends about it, and they were shocked—like they were hearing a story from a movie. I asked them what I should do. Should I act? Should I stay silent? Should I just trust that life—or someone else—will handle it?
I felt deeply conflicted. Part of me wanted to share the truth and stop that company from hurting more people every day. But another part of me remembered past moments where I stood up, defended others—and ended up getting hurt. I also thought about the time, energy, and resources I’d need to sacrifice.
After listening attentively, one of my friends said:
“You know, you have to choose your battles.”
She told me the story of a man who found himself in a similar situation. He was wrongly accused and decided to fight—not just for himself, but for anyone who might go through the same thing. But even with his good intentions, the situation turned against him. And just like that, another Man fighting for justice fell.
She said something I keep repeating in my head:
“Choose your battles. Not every battle is worth fighting. And not every battle is yours to fight.”
I’ve been reflecting deeply on that. Why do I feel the need to react in the face of injustice or unfairness? Many people do—but not everyone. I’ve always felt compelled to act when I see something wrong happening. And even if that urgency has softened over the years, it’s still there.
Maybe it faded because I’ve been in too many situations trying to mediate between people fighting… and getting hurt in the process. Now, I think more carefully before defending or supporting.
But is that a good thing? Or a bad thing?
Maybe it’s a survival instinct now—something that protects me from burning out. But I still ask myself:
“Is this my battle… or someone else’s?”
And if not me, then who?
The truth is: yes, in most situations of injustice, the ideal response would be to act.
But wisdom is knowing which battles to fight.
As humans, our capacities are limited. And even if we like to think of ourselves as superheroes—maybe out of ego, maybe out of pure-hearted intention—we can’t save everyone. We can’t win every battle. We must choose.
For the longest time, I believed that if I didn’t act, nobody would. That people lacked courage, or were too hypocritical, or too afraid. I believed that if anyone had to intervene, it had to be me.
It wasn’t from ego. It was a belief born from experience—a belief that I couldn’t rely on others. Maybe it was also a longing… a wish that someone had defended me when I needed it. So I became that person for others.
That belief carried me for a long time. But now, I see things differently.
Traveling, meeting people vastly different from those I grew up with, opening my eyes to the diversity of this world—it slowly reshaped my perspective. It softened that belief. It gave me hope again. It reminded me that this fight for a better world is not mine alone.
It’s a shared mission.
We each have a part to play.
And that realization? It’s liberating. It feels like a weight lifted.
I’m still trying to understand where that belief first came from—the one that made me think the burden of fairness was mine to carry alone. But learning more about the world and meeting so many different kinds of people helped me see how similar we all are.
How we respond to injustice matters.
How we say, “This isn’t right,” matters.
How we heal, how we protest, how we speak, how we create… it all matters.
Seeing so many people using their voices, their art, their presence to stand against injustice – it brings me hope for humanity.
💙
Everyone is playing their part, and actively building a better world.
What about you?
Have you ever had to choose between taking action and protecting your peace?
What helped you decide?
Trusting it will bring some light to someone’s shadow,
Amale 💫💙

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