Conflict both unites and tears us apart - Paradise Road
“Conflict both unites and tears us apart”
Conflict is an inevitable part of life. It can arise from a failure to achieve a motive or when facing an unfamiliar environment. Conflict is an opportunity to improve. Different individuals will learn to cope with conflict differently; it may seem natural for some to avoid or stand by conflict and let it tear relationships apart, but there are common mechanisms which people can adopt to resolve their problems. Finding similarities and ignoring the differences is one way of coping with unlike individuals, but the fundamental approach to resolving conflict is to accept. The acceptance of individual and cultural differences gives us insight and understanding of the basis of conflict, which also allows for reassessment of moral values. This is how unity can be achieved in the most difficult of all circumstances.
The opportunities to change or to unite often come in the form of conflict. Adrienne and Margaret in Bruce Beresford’s film Paradise Road were united through encountering conflict with the strict rules of the POW camp and the inhumane treatment of women by the Japanese guards. Adrienne who came from a different background with contrasting religious beliefs and a different social class than Margaret, realises of the views that society forces upon her to believe, to look down upon missionaries like Margaret. This variance and disagreement in beliefs has separated the two prisoners apart. Through living under extreme conditions and experiencing the same struggles together, both women were able to relate and find similarities that united their spirits; this led to the formation of the orchestra that brought other women in the camp together. Likewise in the fight for women’s rights and suffrage in the late 19th and early 20th century, the increasing numbers of activists were creating opportunities that would enable a fairer future for women to have the same options and equal treatments. New Zealand was the first country
Conflict is an inevitable part of life. It can arise from a failure to achieve a motive or when facing an unfamiliar environment. Conflict is an opportunity to improve. Different individuals will learn to cope with conflict differently; it may seem natural for some to avoid or stand by conflict and let it tear relationships apart, but there are common mechanisms which people can adopt to resolve their problems. Finding similarities and ignoring the differences is one way of coping with unlike individuals, but the fundamental approach to resolving conflict is to accept. The acceptance of individual and cultural differences gives us insight and understanding of the basis of conflict, which also allows for reassessment of moral values. This is how unity can be achieved in the most difficult of all circumstances.
The opportunities to change or to unite often come in the form of conflict. Adrienne and Margaret in Bruce Beresford’s film Paradise Road were united through encountering conflict with the strict rules of the POW camp and the inhumane treatment of women by the Japanese guards. Adrienne who came from a different background with contrasting religious beliefs and a different social class than Margaret, realises of the views that society forces upon her to believe, to look down upon missionaries like Margaret. This variance and disagreement in beliefs has separated the two prisoners apart. Through living under extreme conditions and experiencing the same struggles together, both women were able to relate and find similarities that united their spirits; this led to the formation of the orchestra that brought other women in the camp together. Likewise in the fight for women’s rights and suffrage in the late 19th and early 20th century, the increasing numbers of activists were creating opportunities that would enable a fairer future for women to have the same options and equal treatments. New Zealand was the first country