New Delhi, June 10 -- "You can't fight without an opponent."

Some truths hide in plain sight. This proverb is one of them. Aite no nai kenka wa dekinai. You can't fight without an opponent. It sounds almost obvious at first. Read it again. Sit with it. The obvious surface dissolves quickly into something much deeper and more demanding.

This is not a proverb about combat. It is a proverb about perspective. It asks you to examine who you think your enemy is. More often than not, the answer will surprise you.

The proverb does not comfort. It confronts. It asks the person who is angry, frustrated, or stuck to pause and look around. Is there actually an opponent here? Or have you been fighting a battle that no one else is fighting with you?...