We’re not heroes, but we’re fighter, dreamer, and survivor.

I have a thousand eyes in my head; I notice everything. Analyzing details is what I love. I record everything with my eyes and absorb all the feelings evoked by those invisible colors. I store it all in the memory of my mind and the space within my heart.

That memory was once full. Believe me.

Noticing everything and feeling so deeply was slowly killing me. I began to see it as a curse — a storm I created myself, without knowing how to escape it. All the feelings I carried became too overwhelming. I cared too much about things I couldn’t hold onto, things that didn’t deserve so much of my concern. I was lost in a darkness that kept drowning me, its waters stained red with blood and filled with self-loathing.

Choking, unable to breathe, I was floating on the edge of death.

This feeling was burning all the stars inside my body.

But if I can feel everything so deeply and notice everything so clearly, then I should also be able to see the light hidden behind it all. Hasn’t the earth taught us this already — that where there is day, there will also be night? Hasn’t history taught us that after darkness comes light? And hasn’t Allah reminded us twice in His letter of love that after difficulty comes ease?

Have you forgotten? Or has the darkness stolen your ability to see the light?

Feeling everything deeply is neither a curse nor a weakness. It is part of who you are — your strength. You are one of God’s most perfect creations. There are countless planetary collisions happening within your galaxy, within your life. The scars, the darkness, the fears, the feelings — they are all parts of you. You cannot separate them, because they are what shape the person you are today.

I know we’re not heroes, but we are fighters. Fight against the darkness; save yourself. No one else can truly fight this battle for you, because this is your war to face.

I know we’re not heroes, but we are dreamers. Through dreams, you can rediscover the parts of yourself that were once lost. Wouldn’t it be even more terrifying if we no longer knew what we wanted in this world? Through your dreams, the stars that once burned out can shine brightly again. Why should we hide the colors within our minds just because a storm has arrived? No — that is exactly how we fight.

I know we’re not heroes, but we are survivors. Survivors of our own lives. I know life is not only about surviving, so don’t forget to sometimes step into the secret garden you’ve created for yourself.

How do you create it? Please read this.

When darkness meets light, that is where the way out of the tunnel begins. That is where we finally learn how to swim out of the sea of hatred. Be yourself. Embrace every part of who you are — the scars, the fears, the love, and your heart.

Find your light. I’ll be by your side.

This piece was inspired by the song “What It Sounds Like” by K-Pop Demon Hunters.

Want to read Indonesian version you can click this.