Awakening Humanity
Conflict is an inevitable part of life and conflict resolution is a vital skill that should not only be possessed by leaders but by each and every one of us, if global citizenship is to survive the next millennial. However, the responsibility of individuals each recognizing their roles and duties as global citizens has one huge barricade, the fading of humanity, the predictable death of the one aspect that unites us in the face of all the diversities. The minute we are born, we are given a name, a tribe, a religion, and other such affiliations and most of us spend the rest of our lives living up to the set standards of such affiliations, defending it even with our own lives. At birth we are given divisions already, and that is just the way things are. There is beauty in diversity, though the concept of diversity is changing every day, from encompassing acceptance and respect for all uniqueness, to alienating each other.
In the face of a conflict therefore, it becomes a challenge to find a common ground that overlooks all the differences we have been defending and living up to as the sole identity, and finding a solution that allows for acceptance, respect, compromise and forgiveness. Not just a solution that will last for a few months or years but one that will last forever, and one that will be a basis future resolutions, one that cannot be challenged.
Let us take a breather and try to think conflict through. Conflict is a typical phenomenon in every human relationship and comes about when people feel that their interest or values have either been challenged or not satisfactorily met. From inter-personal to global conflicts, there have always been a list of ways to reduce the intensity of such conflicts, from defeating the one party, to surrender and even deceiving the other party. You will realize that all these solutions either do not meet the interests of all parties involved, or do not permanently solve the conflict.
As earlier on discussed, the one common platform upon which even conflicts that arise from value clashes, which has proven over time to be some of the most complex to solve, is humanity. Humanity is the one thing that remains even when all the other individualistic affiliations are taken away, it is a constant. As Martin Luther King Jr. put it, an individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.
We have the potential to awaken that in us that can allow for a beautiful world which recognizes each other’s uniqueness and still allow for acceptance and respect, inclusiveness and peace, that is humanity. To be humane is to choose selfless love above all else, to choose peace, in the face of all kinds of conflict. The humane part of humanity is what allows us to accept that we should not just dispose of the rights and interests of others simply because we can.
