Letters - 27 July 2012
From cooperation to the café
‘Cooperation is better than conflict’
This was the headline of an article in Quaker News number 81. Sounds good, but do we have eyes to see how such a statement could itself escalate such conflict? Conflict isn’t usually a choice. It often results from a situation in which people feel their views and opinions are not heard or taken into account. Most of us will experience conflict in our daily lives and also in our Meetings. Given the will, we can learn to use conflict as an aid to getting to know one another better, thus enriching our relationships. On the way we will be challenged to make room for each other’s differences as well as our sameness. This is the way the people of the world could be helped to engage more cooperatively. Putting ourselves into conflict with conflict by taking the moral high ground in relation to those who feel disenfranchised or unheard is hardly going to be the quickest way to reach co-operation. This has become very evident in our recent approach to what has been termed the ‘axis of evil’. Let’s not alienate ourselves from the everyday reality of conflict. Let us work to overcome our fears and grasp the nettle. As Quakers we have resources to help us, amongst which are:
- Working With Conflict: Skills and Strategies for Action, Simon Fisher
- Quaker Life Network, ‘Conflict in Meetings Cluster’, Oliver Waterhouse on qlnetwork@quaker.org.uk
- Conflict in Meetings, Vol 4 of the Eldership and Oversight Handbook.
Sue Holden
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