Conflict occurs because of an “objection to difference”. When we encounter someone who is different, or who has a different view from ours, we typically react with an objection, conscious or unconscious. That which is different from us is seen as a threat to our personhood. This reaction to difference replaces the sensation of full aliveness with the sensation of anxiety and conflict is the result. Conflict unresolved leads to polarization. Polarization can lead to violence.
There are two ways I can help a community move toward the goal of thriving together with mutual respect and mutual purpose.