I am pretty tired. And pretty happy.
Because this day has been been pretty busy and exciting.
First day of Constructive Engagement of Conflict.
Pretty constructive and pretty engaging.
Not too many conflicts.
Yet again and again we were all amazed by how extremely reflective and pure-hearted the participants are.
And most hopefully they will be future bridge-builders and peacemakers.
Today was the beginning or continuation of the development towards that end.
The very first thing they did was to set rules for the dynamics of the interactions in this work: The creation of an open and safe space where everyone feels free to share their vulnerability and strength.
It was beautiful to see how everyone contributed, and the result of their work will serve as a frame for the rest of this project. Most hopefully.
It struck me countless times how silly it is that we humans need to learn how to communicate and interact in a constructive manner.
But unfortunately we actually do, and it seemed as though many of the participants experienced this today. That we go through life hurting each other and creating unnecessary conflict simply because we haven't learnt and practiced better ways of engaging in problems that arise.
Maybe we all strive towards a reality without conflict and pain, and due to our resistance to realize that this is not possible the only thing we do is to cause tiny issues to grow into major problems.
Shockingly simple exercises throughout the day had an illuminating effect because they made us all experience how a slightly new way of looking at reality could change our lives in a positive manner.
Some skits that were slightly too crazy sought to illustrate how to state your personal view point rather than accusing others for their mistakes.
Even after having supposedly slept with the brother of my husband we finally managed to unite to find a solution, facilitated by the awesome skills that the participants had gained during the day.
Respect and active listening seemed to be the key words, not only for the day, but as valuable guidelines for healthy engagement in conflicts-- hopefully throughout our lives, if reinforced successfully.
The participants also shared powerful stories of people that inspired them, and we found out that all their role models handled conflicts in a non-violent and constructive way that was worth seeking to follow.
We finished off the program by enjoying epic skits where the participants illustrated ways to escalate and de-escalate a conflict.
Getting feedback such as "If I'd know these techniques before, my life would have been a lot better" made us confident that this was worth-doing. Most hopefully these methods will not only be helpful for all participants of the course, but also have a ripple effect on their extended communities.
For most facilitators either the teaching role or the Spanish-speaking was a nearly constant struggle. But if possible, we learnt even more than the participants from all their powerful contributions and beautiful stories. And their strong commitment and high spirit gave us a sense of purpose that fueled us to continue.
May it continue this way.
- Ingvill Daatland Hekne (AC '09-'11) - Norway
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