Whether interpersonally or professionally, conflict is inevitable. Differences of opinion, misunderstanding, or feelings of threat arise periodically. Sometimes conflict leads to hurt feelings or damaged relationships. But conflict can also lead to new understanding, changed behaviors, and renewed relationships. Peace, therefore, is characterized not by the absence of conflict but by the environment in which we respond to conflict skillfully and constructively.
While some conflicts may require use of the court system or be
inappropriate for mediation, we face many conflicts throughout our lives without resorting to lawyers and judges. Indeed, sometimes the use of the courts itself may be a "move" in the conflict. And while conflicts often involve money, property, deception, or legal rights, these can also obscure subtler issues underlying the dispute. In such cases, judicial verdicts sometimes manage to contain conflicts, but do not always resolve them.
