PEACE ON EARTH
Conflict Resolutions that Work to Bridge Divides
by Linda Sechrist
Healing happens when we handle conflict in a healthy and transformative way.
Call to Action Roughly 30 years ago, notable voices began urging Americans to embrace a sustainable worldview of unity in diver- sity, recognizing our core oneness as a solution to an increasingly out-of-bal- ance society. Success in this endeavor depends primarily on the “habits of the heart” of our citizens, developed in local milieus of families, neighborhoods, classrooms, congregations, voluntary associations, workplaces and public places where strangers gather.
Activating Answers While mainstream media often largely focuses on the negative aspects of con- flict—discord, divisiveness, intolerance, violence, incivility, injustice, chaos and complex problems—a count- er-movement is convening constructive conversations. Participants are initiating dialogue and deliberations intended to resolve conflicts and create cohesive- ness, collaboration, cooperation and compromise among local factions that disagree on how to deal with everything from health care and social justice to environmental protection and climate science. Educational training materials and books are giving outdated models of conflict resolution a facelift. In The Revolution Where You Live: Stories from a 12,000 Mile Journey
Through a New America, Sarah Van Gelder devotes a chapter to a Greensboro, North Carolina, battle over a story about a deadly, racially charged incident from the city’s recent past. She quotes James Lamar Gibson, a 20-something African-American activist and core orga- nizer for the Counter Stories Project:
“We’ve been stuck in an old conversa- tion for a couple of decades. We want to have an army of people with restor- ative conversation skills, so we can get past the divisiveness and imagine together a different sort of Greensboro,” he says. The project began with facili- tator training, and then developed story circles in which residents were able to have the difficult discussions that don’t ordinarily take place among the police, city council, churches and social agencies. Today’s conflict resolution experts are
discovering that conflict is an essential and powerful call for applying spiritual principles and exercising spiritual practices.
Provocative Questions
“What if we considered conflict as a secret ally or a guidepost, showing us what really matters to us and how much we care? What if our intense emotions are sources of invincible energy, with
the power to build the world we want, together? What does
having conflict in a healthy and
transformative way look like?” queries Ma’ikwe Ludwig, executive director of Commonomics USA, an organization which educates and advocates for a world where a commons-based econ- omy creates economic and ecological security for all. “Conflict has the power to bring to
the surface what’s really at stake and to unite people toward a common goal,” advises Ludwig. Her thought-provoking questions can help shift perceptions toward the idea that we need to use conflict; maybe even welcome it. Ludwig, author of Together Resilient:
Building Community in the Age of Climate Disruption, recently helped present new perspectives on conflict resolution during a webinar for Transi- tion US members interested in creating inclusive and diverse communities through collaboration. The nonprofit inspires, encourages, supports and provides networking and training for grassroots initiatives seeking to build community resilience in the face of such challenges as oil spills, climate change and economic crises. Courtney Breese, managing director
for the nonprofit National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD)
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