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Conflict

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“Conflict causes growth as well as loss in people's lives”

Conflict has the ability to cause both growth and loss in people’s lives. The loss of dignity, beliefs, humanity and possessions can be a result of conflict. Conflict also provokes growth in individuals in personal relationships, maturity, understanding and compassion can be hastened by conflict. Conflict can affect anyone at any time and we are all bound to experience it. No matter how hard we try avoiding it, it will always be a part of our journey through life due to our separate set of ideas, beliefs and values as individual human beings. In some cases, the conflict experienced can strengthen the value or moral already held and reinforce our beliefs.

In some circumstances of conflict, one’s values and morals are strengthened despite the threat of harm to themselves or others in the future. This occurs when the value initially held by the individual is one of great significance and meaning to them, and not even the risk of suffering can distinguish that moral principle. This can be shown through the case of Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani activist for female education in her hometown where, at that time, the Taliban had banned all girls from attending school. Malala reached out and followed her ambition, attending a school set up by her father, only to one day be shot at on her way back from school by members of the Taliban. She suffered major injuries and together with her family fled to Britain to seek treatment. But this conflict did not put an end to her, rather it strengthened her means and she vowed to return to Pakistan and continue her advocacy despite threats from the Taliban, stating that “the soil of Pakistan is waiting for me and I need to work there, I need to fight for my people”. Often in extreme situations where our life is at risk, we will alter ourselves and beliefs in order to preserve our own survival.

Internal conflict is a type of conflict that occurs when someone is mentally struggling to choose between two opposing desires in their mind. It can be as dreadful or as helpful as external conflict with other people, but nonetheless still produces the same results as external conflict- it reveals our true values. When faced with two different desires or goals that clash, we are often forced to follow one and forget the other. This in itself reveals one’s true values and what they are most passionate about. In The Reluctant Fundamentalist, a novel and movie written and directed by Mohsin Hamid and Mira Nair, the main character Changez experiences inner conflict when he is torn between following his American dream of becoming an employee at Underwood Samson or staying true to his Pakistani culture, family, and heritage. After 9/11 and the kidnapping of an American citizen, Changez realises that both parties were now at war and that he could not remain both a “lover of America” and a Pakistani. This conflict channels uncertainty in Changez about where he belongs and pushes him to pick a side- Americans or Pakistani’s. His final decision of staying true to his culture and “having a commitment to himself” reveals his true values and where his heart really lies- with his culture and with the people he started out with. Though sometimes the decision of choosing a side and neglecting the other can be challenging and quite difficult, it is what comes with the experience of conflict. Our true selves will be disclosed during these encounters, regardless of whether it is a conscious, deliberate choice to choose that identity or an unintentional choice that was already picked out for us.

When encountering conflict, people are usually confronted with loss. Conflict can cause the loss of humanity, dignity and beliefs. In Elis Wiesel’s autobiographical text, night a major loos in Elis’s life, due to conflict, was the loss of faith. The conflict that Elie faced caused him to question and to lose his faith in God. “Never shall I forget hat night…Never shall I forget those flames which consumed m faith forever”. The conflict that Elie encountered was so overpowering and influential on him, that it caused Elie to lose a part of him that, before conflict, had driven his entire life; faith. Conflict can also result in a loss of humanity is lost, people can be provoked into making decisions lacking in compassion and take part in immoral actions against others.
When one struggles, they are paying the price to receive beneficial growth in their lives. Conflict will always be around in daily life to challenge our beliefs and behaviours, so it is important to bring emotions and deep feelings out so that issues may have a chance of being resolved. The best thing anybody can do is to deal with it in a positive manner creating growth and maturity, but occasionally one will learn nothing and reject any improvement. Conflict is an ever-present and ongoing aspect of people's lives. Individuals wouldn't be able to learn right from wrong, neither would they experience different situations and learn how to overcome it. Therefore conflict is unavoidable and always present in our paths as we grow from a fetus to the day we pass away this is why conflict causes growth as well as loss in peoples lives.

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