"Chaos of Cross-fire: Conquer or Be a Collateral"
There is more we get to learn of life from books on war and diplomacy than just battles and pacts, of life and survival in its abstract conundrums.
Lauren Eden once said – “Sometimes we are just the collateral damage in someone else’s war with themselves.” This quote highlights the fact that damage to the not intended target is inevitable in a situation that involves conflict or hatred of any type.
Sometimes you're the collateral damage, the other times you bring it upon.
In the intricate tapestry of human conflicts, be they battles on the battlefield or clashes in professional or personal domains, the specter of collateral damage looms ominously. Stepping aside from modern diplomacy theories either, it would not fail our pursuit to validate the inescapability of 'collateral damage' notwithstanding the grounds of one's own system of ethics or their culpability from the many stories we have heard as we grew up. The annals of mythological sagas where virtuous men like Bhishma Pitama, Karna, and Dronacharya, demonstrate that despite embodying enviable virtues and excellence, one may still find themselves ensnared in the web of unintended harm, depending on which side of the battle you have chosen.
When faced with firsthand experience, the reality gets harsher for many apparent reasons, despite being first very difficult to reconcile with. Should you have never encountered such instances in your life where you sense that something is amiss, even though you don't deserve it, then you haven't travelled far enough in life! First-hand experience makes the reality worse for many obvious reasons, even though it is first a very difficult reality to deal with. Should you have never encountered such instances in your life where you sense that something is amiss, even though you don't deserve it, then you haven't travelled far enough in life!
Then there is the ultimate mantra of diplomacy that I feel becomes relatable in most facets of life. "There are no permanent friends, no permanent enemies but only permanent interests."
And every interest comes with a cost.