Can we move beyond conflict?

Everywhere we go, whatever we do and whichever circumstance we are in, there is conflict. In this world of chaos, love, despair, faith and the like, conflict can never be avoided. When we were young, most of the time, we encounter conflicts because this boy or girl stole our food, kicked our bag and won't play with us. As we grow up, we experience different kinds of conflict. At times, conflict even leads to violence and other messy instances.

Conflict is never good- for it sets apart the people having misunderstandings. It is the one responsible in dividing people apart. We did not know better when we were at a young age. We fight back, say harsh words and do nasty things just to get back at people. In short, we don't think. We just do what we feel like doing. We just do what our instincts tell us. Most of the time, what we do without thinking leads to conflict due to the emotions present during that specific time.

Bleiker (2009) states that how to address a conflict is not easy at all. There are ways wherein conflict is avoided and one of these is confrontation. Confrontation is basically the talk or an act that occurs when a party directly communicates with the other party and they arrive at a solution. Some confrontations lead to a negative event but some turns out well. Another approach is the engagement approach where at times, the negotiation process is said to be "soft". Most of the time, engagement and dialogue offer good alternatives and options for confrontation but if this approach is used, some bigger and larger issues are not addressed. Here comes the concept of antagonism- hostility that leads to active resistance and opposition (Bleiker, 2009).

Conflict is something that does not only occur within our community but it also extends to the borders of our country. Most of the conflicts that we experience involves state against state that fight over something huge. Bleiker (2009) posits that moving beyond conflict requires negotiation and complete understanding between parties. This compromise must be geared towards justice and peace. The ability to forgive must be present since conflict cannot cease without forgiveness. It is important that we learn how to forgive and forget in order to move on completely. Friedrich Nietzche mentions that we have to "break with the past in order to live".

What forgiving is, is not about forget what happened either. It's more of knowing what happened, learning from it and understanding the causes of this conflict. We do not forget easily and we do not forgive immediately, but in time, it is necessary for each and everyone of us to learn to let go. Grudges will not get us anywhere. An example of having conflicts is North Korea. It experienced a whole lot and politics in Korea displays signs of what Nietzche proclaims (Bleiker, 2009).

Bleiker (2009) states that conflicts arise from historical circumstances. The roots are and will always be engraved with every party. Understanding and dealing with these conflicts is what actually mater because it is up to us alone to create a peaceful environment. There are several approaches to end a conflict- dialogue, negotiation, compromise, engagement, confrontation, etc, but all of these things are relative. Meaning, it still depends on every individual or state.

In political situations, threat and suspicion will never be eliminated. There is mistrust and complete negative emotions involved, which leads to conflict (Bleiker, 2009). What's wrong with this is the assumed thought involved in these instances. Reconciliation is a vital term when it comes to conflict because it reconnects and improves relationships between and among people.

This question is hard to answer since it differs for every entity and individual. However, I agree with Mr. Nietzche when he said that it is important to put the past behind and present on whats left of our lives. We will never achieve a peaceful and harmonious environment if we ourselves do not know how to move on and let go. Acceptance is a key issue. What happened in the past, what harm it may have done to us, shall all be forgotten. The community must move towards a good positive direction, to develop peace and justice.

Elimination of conflict is a road to a successful globalization. Especially now that countries are open to one another and their are several activities that link all the various markets, conflict should be put aside. Individuals must focus on building a healthy future, as one, to be able to establish string relations that may benefit all economies.

Source:
Bleiker, R. (2009). Can we move beyond conflict?. Global politics: A new introduction. London: Routledge