Naebe Galdeung
“The monsters were never beneath my bed;
They dwelled instead deep within my head.
I fear no creatures, for none can I see;
All along, the true monster has been me”
In the Korean language, Naebe Galdeung can be translated into Inner Conflict, representing the idea that sometimes, we can be our own biggest enemy. It is the battle that takes place within us, where our fears, insecurities, doubts, and past experiences become obstacles standing between us and the lives we want to live. Sometimes, the monster we fear the most isn’t hiding beneath the bed or lurking in the darkness; sometimes, it is the one we carry within ourselves. It is the voice in our heads that tells us we aren’t good enough, that we’re going to fail, or that our dreams are too far out of reach. Inner conflict goes beyond simply battling negative thoughts. It is the struggle between who we are and who we want to become, between choosing comfort and taking a risk, between staying where we feel safe and stepping into the unknown. We can spend so much time waiting for the perfect moment, searching for reassurance, or convincing ourselves that we aren’t ready, only to realize that we have become the very thing standing in our own way. We allow fear to disguise itself as logic, doubt to disguise itself as reality, and self-sabotage to convince us that giving up is easier than facing the possibility of failure. Sometimes, the hardest battles aren’t the ones we fight against the world, but the ones we fight within ourselves. We become so focused on protecting ourselves from disappointment, rejection, and failure that we unknowingly protect ourselves from growth, happiness, and opportunity as well. We hesitate to take chances, silence our own voices, and shrink ourselves to fit into spaces we have already outgrown. In doing so, we risk becoming prisoners of our own minds, held back not by what we are incapable of doing, but by what we have convinced ourselves we cannot do. We forget that the strength to overcome this internal strife lies within us, often buried beneath layers of self-doubt and criticism. However, recognizing our inner conflict is the first step toward overcoming it. We cannot always control the fears that arise within us, but we can choose whether we allow them to dictate our decisions. Growth begins when we learn to challenge the stories we tell ourselves, confront the parts of us that are afraid, and understand that discomfort does not always mean danger. Sometimes, it means we are changing; sometimes, it means we are getting closer to the person we have always wanted to become. Moreover, it can also lead us to unearth desires and dreams we have long buried under the weight of our anxieties. Ultimately, Naebe Galdeung reminds us that the greatest obstacle in our journey may not always be the world around us, but the war we wage within ourselves. And perhaps the most important realization is that if we have the power to stand in our own way, we also have the power to move forward. The same mind that creates our limitations can learn to challenge them, and the same person who holds us back can become the person who sets us free. We must embrace our imperfections and understand that they are part of our unique journey, paving the way for resilience and strength that we never knew we possessed. By doing so, we not only transform our inner conflict into a source of empowerment but also ignite a deeper connection with ourselves and the world, ultimately allowing us to live authentically and boldly.
“Behind my smile is everything you’ll never understand”
Thomas Shelby
Khalil Gibran once wrote the following: “I still believe that a human being does not die all at once; rather, we die in pieces. Each time a friend departs, a part of us dies. Each time a lover leaves, a part of us dies. Each time a dream is shattered, a part of us dies. Then comes the final death; it finds all those parts already dead, gathers them, and departs.” This reflects the true meaning of the inner conflict we experience as we navigate through life. It reminds us that every experience, every loss, and every disappointment can leave a lasting mark on who we are, slowly taking away pieces of ourselves that we may not even realize are missing until much later. Sometimes, we become so accustomed to carrying our pain in silence that we forget how much it weighs on us. We learn to smile through our struggles, hide behind our own walls, and convince ourselves that we must face everything alone. Yet, the hardest battles are often the ones nobody sees, and one of the most difficult things to understand is that we are not a burden to others simply because we are hurting. We have all experienced suffering in one way or another, but perhaps one of the most devastating feelings is looking back and realizing that the people around us never noticed the pain we were carrying. It can make us feel invisible, disconnected, and even question our own worth. However, the absence of recognition does not make our suffering any less real, nor does it mean that we must continue to endure it in silence. Sometimes, the first step toward healing is allowing ourselves to acknowledge our pain, accept our imperfections, and understand that we deserve the same compassion we so willingly give to others. Lastly, taking control of our inner monsters does not mean pretending that our struggles never existed or that the pieces we have lost can simply be restored. It means learning to live with our experiences without allowing them to define us. It means understanding that healing is not about becoming who we once were, but about discovering who we can become despite everything we have endured. Our inner conflict begins to transform into inner peace when we stop fighting against ourselves, learn to forgive ourselves for the things we cannot change, and recognize that even after everything life has taken from us, there is still a part of us worth fighting for.
“Someday someone will break you so badly that you’ll become Unbreakable”
The Joker
The truth is that, as life goes on, we experience things that slowly shape us into people we never imagined we would become. Some experiences break us, others change us, and some teach us lessons we never wanted to learn. However, through every hardship, every disappointment, and every battle we face within ourselves, we begin to develop a strength that we may not have known we possessed. Overcoming your inner conflict guides you toward the realization that not everything has the power to hurt you the way it once did. You have endured so much, faced so many battles in silence, and survived moments you once thought would destroy you. Eventually, you reach a point where the things that once had the power to break you no longer hold the same weight. You become so familiar with the feeling of something breaking that you begin to understand that not every loss is the end, not every disappointment is a failure, and not every person who walks away takes a piece of you with them. You learn that pain is a part of life, but it does not have to become the foundation of who you are. The things that once kept you awake at night slowly lose their grip on you, and the words that once made you question your worth no longer define how you see yourself. It is not that you have stopped feeling, nor is it that you have become incapable of being hurt. Rather, you have learned that your strength does not come from avoiding pain, but from knowing that you can endure it without losing yourself in the process. Perhaps this is what it truly means to become unbreakable. It is not about becoming invulnerable to the world or convincing yourself that nothing can ever hurt you again. It is about reaching a place within yourself where pain no longer controls your identity, where loss no longer determines your worth, and where the things you cannot control no longer dictate your peace. You have been broken before, but you have also learned how to put yourself back together. And eventually, you realize that while life may continue to test you, it no longer has the power to make you forget who you are. The pain doesn’t define you anymore. The past doesn’t control you anymore. And the things that once broke you become reminders of just how far you have come.
“A mirror cracked into shards of glass reflects pain and scars, yet within those shards, a glimmer shines. For from the ruins, beauty springs.”
Broken Glass Becomes Art
