The Nature of Conflict
This article presents an analysis of conflict in terms of past and future
, wounds and desires, mind and matter.
Essence of Conflict
The essence of conflict is collision. The root of the word is fligere, strike + con, together. Although we tendto use the word dispute synonymously, its root is more benign: putare, consider or estimate + dis, two ways,differently. At a physical level, the nature of conflict is expressed in the rule that two objects cannot occupythe same space at the same time; if they violate the rule, they collide. One might say that the forces unleashedin the Big Bang are fleeing the consequences of colliding in micro-space; hence the expanding universe. Thisis conflict avoidance on a cosmic scale.
Living things are apt to collide in the competition for space and resources, but humans are more complicated.We have long memories, complex emotions, and nurture grudges, so we can fight about things that happeneda long time ago; we can also fight about abstract ideas and beliefs.
The elements of conflict are past time, future time, wounds, desires, mind and matter. Wounds exist in the past;desires exist in the future. Any conflict may be played out on the twin planes of mind and matter.
Time as an element of conflict
Conflicts always contain time. Continued conflict is a way to drag the past into the future. The idea of justiceis in essence a belief that past events can be "put right." We may also speak of the present moment, but thepresent moment is always in the process of becoming the future. Conflicts exist in the present, but they arealways about something that is desired to happen or about something that already happened. That is why wetry to know the future and the past.
The present moment is our point of perception; to the extent that the past exists at all, it can only exist inpresent perception, and to the extent that the future exists at all, it can only exist in present perception. Butwhen one contemplates the nature of the present moment, it vanishes. It is always becoming the past andalways rolling into the future. The only thing one can do with the present moment is experience it.
When people fight about the past, they are generally fighting about their wounds; when they fight about thefuture, they are generally fighting about their desires. Some conflicts pertain both to past and future; whenwounds are mixed with desires, the entanglement is complex. Fights about the past are always about how topatch up the past so that wounded spirits may be satisfied, and fights over the future are always about whogets what, how much, and at what price. The most complex conflicts contain past time, future time, unhealedwounds, unfulfilled desires, conflicting doctrines and beliefs, and contest for territory and resources.
We approach the past by means of memory, physical and written records. Although we only have our storiesabout the past, they may be more or less accurate, depending on many factors, of which the most important isusually the passage of time. As memories fade, we have to rely on the written and physical record, and if thereis no written record, we have only the physical record. Lawsuits involve an attempt to reconstruct the past;evidence is the law's method of reconstructing a past story.
The future is like the past in some ways. We have stories about the past, and predictions about the future.We cannot remember the future, but we can predict it, and the accuracy of our predictions depends mainlyupon time. Most people can predict what they are likely to be doing next week, but not what they will be doingten years ahead. No one can predict a hundred years ahead. When rapid change occurs, prediction becomes more difficult.
Wounds and desires
A "wound" may be psychological or material. The legal system compensates for material losses (economicdamages), and for pain and suffering (non-economic damages). Some wounds may have no materialcomponent: "..I have told thee often..I hate the Moor..let us be conjunctive in our revenge against him."
"Desire" pertains to the future. Those who have no desires are either enlightened or apathetic. A desire maybe for psychological or material satisfaction. It may be positive (to achieve gain) or negative (to cause loss).
Mind and matter
These are separated conventionally, though most material things have an emotional or psychologicalcomponent, and vice-versa. The achievement of satisfaction often requires both to be addressed. A systemthat does not attempt to address both needs is incomplete, and means of doing so are sought for "alternatively."
Beliefs and resources
Humans fight about ideas and beliefs. The inquisition of Galileo was about the Earth's relationship withthe Sun. Bloody religious wars have been fought over quite abstruse points of doctrine. Today a battle iswaged between Creationism and Darwinism. These are essentially conflicts in the realm of ideas. The desirefor revenge is for mental satisfaction; someone has written that it is like drinking poison and expecting theother fellow to die.
People have always fought for the control of territory and natural resources. These are "who gets what" fights.
Uncertainty
Whether we fight over the past or the future, we are dealing with uncertainty. Conflict increases theuncertainty of outcomes. Making peace is a way to diminish uncertainty. Transactional negotiation involvesan attempt to predict and influence the course of future events without conflict. Conflict management involvesthe development of systems to prevent conflict, and to deal with it when it happens.
A person may also be in conflict with himself; these conflicts also are always about past wounds, futuredesires or conflicting beliefs. The goal of conflict resolution is to heal past wounds, harmonize futuredesires and reconcile conflicting beliefs.
There are two possible broad categories of subjects for conflict things of the mind, or physical resources.There is nothing else to fight about.
Summary
On the physical level, we fight in time and space for control of matter and energy. We also fight for ideasand beliefs. We fight to heal wounds and fulfill desires. Conflicts may pertain to both past and future; thepast contains wounds, the future contains desires. The most complex conflicts contain all variables at once:resources and ideas, past and future, wounds and desires, material and incorporeal. These involve a high degreeof entanglement and congealed emotional energy. Dispute resolution is about untangling the contestants andreleasing the energy.
The Nature of Conflict
By: Charles Parselle
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