Most people really want to agree and get along;
they are usually just as surprised and uncomfortable by disagreements as the
party with whom they are disagreeing.
Conflict is as natural as the rain. It's periodic
presence should not surprise us any more than a rain shower would when the
conditions are right. (Author unknown)
Anyone can become angry. That is easy. But to be
angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the
right purpose, and in the right way--that is not easy. --Aristotle
It takes courage and humility to seek a peaceful
resolution to any conflict. We must be brave enough to honestly share our own
perspective and humble enough to genuinely try to understand and accept an
alternative perspective.
At the foundation of every nearly conflict is an
unmet need or the fear of a need going unmet.
No two people will hold exactly the same
perspective of any event, fact, situation or value. Differences can be shared,
explored, revised, reinterpreted, bridged, accepted and/or surmounted.
In most cases, it is not the objective conflict
that becomes our undoing; it is our response to the perceived conflict. Our
individual response can determine whether any difference of opinion, fact,
values or resources will lead us to manifest conflict, joint resolution,
conciliation, or an all-out war.
* The original sources of the information above
is unknown. It is provided here solely to help the reader better appreciate the
nature of human conflict and is not for republication.