Conflict is Inevitable: Why You Must Build Confidence and Embrace It

Conflict is Inevitable: Why You Must Build Confidence and Embrace It

Conflict is an inevitable part of the human experience. While it often makes us uncomfortable, learning to engage in conflict with confidence and ease is an essential life skill. Building confidence for engaging in conflict can help us navigate difficult situations, develop healthy attitudes toward most conflicts, and minimize the negative impact of fear and anxiety conflict can have on our lives. In this article, we explore the inevitable nature of conflict, the role of emotions in conflict, and the skills and strategies needed to build confidence and embrace conflict.

From Child Soldier to Mediator: A Memoir to Inspire Peace and Unity

From Child Soldier to Mediator: A Memoir to Inspire Peace and Unity

Many would look at Deng Atem's life, shaped by conflict and displacement, and wonder why he is not bitter and resentful. Instead, Deng has enabled his experiences as a former “Lost Boy of Sudan” to fuel his pursuit of a more positive reality for others growing up in his homeland.

Deng now lives in Phoenix, Arizona. His impact as a visionary and leader in the global South Sudanese community has been enhanced by recently acquired mediation skills.

From child soldier to mediator, Deng has dedicated his life to inspiring a future characterized by peace and unity, culminating in his memoir, Jumping Over the Ram

How to Manage Conflict in Stressful Times

How to  Manage Conflict  in Stressful Times

This article was published during the COVID-19 pandemic, a day after the count of globally-documented cases surpassed one million. I felt it was necessary to write this as much for you, dear reader, as for myself. At this point, we don’t really know what the world will look like when the pandemic is over. What I do know is that uncertainty breeds anxiety. Stress clouds our ability to focus on much of anything, let alone resolving conflicts between adversaries. It would be easy to just tell everyone to forgive and forget, but in reality, conflicts only escalate if left to fester indefinitely. After 25 years as a mediator, I assure you, it’s possible to manage conflict in stressful times. In this article, I offer a few options.