The author is a journalist who is receiving support from The Kite Tales to write these diaries. This diary is about a close friend.

He Hates War. No, that’s not entirely true. He hates the dictator.

There are homes without inhabitants, people without homes, there are shoes without owners, feet without shoes, there are sons who no longer have mothers to return to, and mothers who have lost sons. All because of the military. Under the tyrant's onslaught, many families are ripped asunder, by death or displacement.

We will wake up tomorrow to more bullets.

He also had dreams. Of course he did. He wanted to be a gold medalist in heavyweight traditional boxing. It wasn’t an impossible dream, he had a promising future. He had won awards.

Sports are for everyone and care little for race, religion, and whether one is poor or not. But in Myanmar, children from indigenous areas often struggle more. And he had many trials.

So he started working for a local NGO and boxed in his spare time. He decided he wanted to help young people in his ethnic state who love boxing. What he really wanted to do was to teach kids, to show that no matter where you live, in urban areas or hilly ethnic provinces, kids have the same quality and skills. He wanted to share his knowledge and experiences.

His dreams changed and became stronger than the mountains that surround his town: The children from his State who love boxing must be successful.

His future and all his goals were destroyed by the February 2021 coup.

After the military seized power he concluded that as long as there are dictators, there will be no dreams, especially in sport. We will continue to face catastrophes and our futures will wither away.

So he protested, peacefully. Not just for a day or two but for several days. Until soldiers opened fire on unarmed protesters.

That changed his thinking. He decided that if it was not going to be possible to defeat the tyrant with peaceful methods, you have to use brute force. So he took up arms and gave up everything he possessed. He took part in multiple clashes.

He was injured. A forearm bone was broken and another was cracked. He won’t box again. Those dreams of being a champion are finished.

His injury means he cannot carry a weapon any more when he goes into the clashes. So he has taken to carrying a camera instead and shoots images of the battlefield conditions. In the 21st century, a camera is as useful as a gun. Many of the news photos of fighting in his state were taken by him.

He is using his camera to send messages to people across Myanmar. At a time of revolution, the important thing is to participate, he says. That is how he is surviving. He has pushed aside his dreams. Number one priority is to overthrow the dictator.

He believes that Dharma (justice) will win in the battle between Dharma and Ahdharma (injustice). But what he is really hoping for are weapons. If there are only as many weapons as they need, this revolution will be over very soon. There is also a need for food.

He wishes the revolution will end soon because he has things he wants to get on with. Even though he will no longer be a champion boxer, he wants to be a pioneer for the youth from his state. He wants the younger generation to have opportunities and to have equality between the plains and the hills. To do this the military dictator must go and federal democracy must be put in its place.

So he continues to fight.

The artwork is by an anonymous illustrator who is receiving support from The Kite Tales to produce illustrations.