Human labelling reduces complexity into categories, offering comfort to the mind but danger to the soul.

There is a peculiar illness of the soul that afflicts conquered nations long after the conqueror has departed. It lingers not in the ruins or treaties but in the minds of the people; in how they think, what they worship, whom they praise, and what they forget. For the Pashtun people, whose lands span modern-day Afghanistan and Pakistan, this condition manifests as a defence of the very forces that sought to erase their names, silence their language, and reshape their dreams.

The village was dry, humble, and stubborn. Much like the people it raised. Narrow dusty paths ran between crumbling mud walls and straw-covered roofs. The air held the scent of firewood, wool, and morning bread. At the heart of it all stood the mosque, a small structure of stone and silence.

Buddhism’s foundation rests on the Four Noble Truths: life entails suffering (dukkha), suffering arises from craving and ignorance, suffering can cease through nirvana, and the Noble Eightfold Path leads to liberation. The Eightfold Path includes right understanding, thought, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration, grouped into ethics (sila), meditation (samadhi), and wisdom (prajna). Unlike theistic religions, Buddhism emphasizes personal insight,