One conflict is the seed of another.

Conflicts between people are a normal, natural and inevitable part of life. It is the very challenge of being challenged. We frequently only think of the immediate conflicts that occurred but not consider the seeds that it has planted. Disagreements often occur due to clash of ideas or in some cases, hatred of another, and when handled incorrectly, it will result in a domino effect. Conflicts that are out of control and affect many lives are often due to people unable to face their own personal conflicts, resulting in sabotage in not only themselves but others around them for self satisfaction. When one person falls down, another is brought down with them; it is the continuous cycle of conflict.

The desperate need to construct more lies in order to cover up previous conflict would only cause more turmoil in others. This is seen in seventeen-year-old Kimberly Duthie, “the St Kilda girl,” was the centre of an infamous scandal of a sex and drug misconduct allegation against AFL manager Rickie Nixon. In an inappropriate sexual relationship with a forty-seven year old man, Kim Duthie attempted to be perceived as a victim. In response to her mistreatment and driven by media attention, she continued to be embroiled in one scandal after another, bringing anyone involved to shame. Her inappropriate involvement caused Nixon to be suspended of having his license to act as a player agent. Kim Duthie’s inner conflict ultimately spread to destroying his family and his life along with the reputation of other St Kilda football players. It was the lust for power and attention that drove her to be so hateful and revengeful. With every step she took, she created more fabrications that she tried to cover up and eventually she was spiralling downwards until she was in a debt that was out of her control. Even after her saga she posted a tweet showing no remorse and her true nature claiming “No matter what decisions or mistakes I have made to this day - I always have the upper hand. Regret nothing.'' Her need for power and revenge caused Nixon to also be on a slippery slope with recent allegation on his domestic abuse to his finance, a visit to a psychiatric hospital and losing him $4 million and becoming bankrupt. Everyone else in her path just becomes another victim of a child with poor upbringing causing her to have no moral compass. The consequences of one’s action can affect another creating an endless turmoil but it is also a demonstration on how one’s internal conflict projected negative consequences on others.

The detestation of one person may result in the conflict and destruction of many lives. The blind and dark actions of Joseph McCarthy on February 9 1950, when he boldly announced that he had in his possession a list of people who were a menace to the society because of their beliefs in communism meant that McCarthy was immediately given authority over the lives of the Americans. They were faced with conflict due to the power imbalance, which unfairly forced them to show complacency or risked being named and their lively hoods destroyed. Although McCarthy may not have meant harm and acted on his own deep convictions, he ended up planting the seeds of a society that became paranoid and acted with a lack of integrity. His beliefs on communism spiralled out of control when careers were ruined on the flimsiest evidence and his methods came under increasing attack by the press. Although McCarthyism was dead by the mid-1950s, its detrimental effects including severe loss of civil liberties and the exploitation of fear lasted for decades. Similarly, Saddam Hussein has the dubious distinction of being the world's best known and most hated Arab leader. Saddam Hussein had a major influence in Iraq causing an upsurge in violence suicide bombings and massacre. Megan Stack’s report on his downfall’s repercussion, explaining after the ‘system’ had gone, “smothered humanity exploded” with “one conflict bleeding into the next.” He may have solitarily controlled Iraq for over two decades but he created a generation of enemies, demonstrating one’s conflict having the ability to unleash many more.

A person’s internal conflict dealt wrongly can cause their personal conflict to only grow to an endless turmoil. News of the world’s richest women, Gina Rinehart over the past year shows how inability to understand and empathize with others resulting her being in an endless scuffle and destruction of many lives. The 58 years old woman, with an estimated wealth of almost thirty billion dollars uses her power to seize control in every aspect of her life, whether it is in business or family, and it only leads her to tumbling into bitter financial battles with every person in her life. Her infamous battles with her father Lang Hancock, lead to her fights with her stepmother Rose Porteous and ultimately ending her in a tragic war with her children fighting for control of their family trust. It is reprehensible for she is a daughter and a mother, yet her lack of compassion and inabilities to create intimate relationships eventually result in her to sabotaging all her relationships. Having been in all these conflicts proves how her internal conflict has merely expanded to differences between her family and friends for the satisfaction of being in control. It is the projection and inability to contain our inner conflict that would affect others to be caught in the ripple effect.

Encountering conflict can be difficult nevertheless it is ultimately worthwhile. Bearing witness, acknowledging conflict, is how humanity can work to grow and evolve in a positive way. Stepping around it doesn’t make it go away. The more we avoid conflict or conceal it, the more destructive it becomes, proven by Kim Duthie’s vicious rumours and Rinehart’s relationship with her family. We must learn to acknowledge conflict as an inevitable part of life and study the methods designed to resolve conflict in productive ways to avoid differences to grow. In conflict resolution, it is difficult to find a perfect solution but we should use all our resources to solve them as smoothly as possible to minimize repercussions.