I'm not typically a confrontational person and usually I try to avoid such situations as much as I can; I can say I have been quite successful in this endeavor and continue to make a conscious effort to keep my life conflict-free. I have made it a point to live my life this way not because I am necessarily afraid of conflict but because I don't care to give energy to it. Be that as it may, there are times in life when it would seem that we can't avoid getting into or being part of conflicts - in the workplace, in our friendships and relationships or even with complete strangers. There's always that one individual at your job who takes pleasure in testing the limits of your patience or that one friend who is so inconsistent and bi-polar that conflict with them simply can't be avoided. It gets tricky when the conflicts come in your relationship because you want to be able to display enough maturity to handle any difficult situation but at the same time, you must know when these conflicts are becoming more frequent with fewer resolutions. When this is the case, it can become so energy draining that walking away from such a relationship or friendship may be the lasting solution.
We have all seen the quotes that tell us to "walk away from anything that threatens our peace of mind" or the ones that say "anything that costs you your peace is too expensive" but does that mean even when the conflicts are coming from within your own circle or family? How does one address this without irreparably destroying the relationships that exist? I'm a christian and believe whole-heartedly that the enemy is always on the prowl looking for who and what to destroy; it would appear that he has pitched his tent within the family- one of the single strongest units within any society. The enemy knows that if he can destroy this first, then it becomes easy for the poison of conflict to spread to other larger parts of a community.
Wikipedia's definition of conflict ' refers to some form of friction, or discord arising within a group when the beliefs or actions of one or more members of the group are either resisted by or unacceptable to one or more members of another group'. By this definition, it is clear that in today's world, we are currently facing a myriad of conflicts - political, racial, cultural, social and even personal. Belief systems are being challenged, morals and values questioned with mild chaos replacing the (uneasy) calm that once prevailed.
Ideally, healthy conflict is a good thing for any modern society; it forces people to consider other views different from their own and encourages open-mindedness. It creates an opportunity to learn about the people in your life and can also be an avenue to open up communication on a different subject. If confrontations are properly timed and tactful, it can even strengthen your relationships because it increases the honesty and closeness that exist. However, when conflict is avoided in the name of achieving peace, it is often short-lived and dishonest so it is adviseable to manage it by dealing with it rather than letting it fester.
Conflicts are challenging but they help us grow personally, spiritually and mentally and though they tend to be uncomfortable, avoiding them is not always best; one's approach and tone is what makes the difference. If we can keep things respectful, any conflict can be positive in its resolution.
Thanks for keeping this date to be here and chat to you again on Saturday.
Love Always
No comments:
Post a Comment