CHENNAI: Most of us dread conflict situations in our life, as it makes us uncomfortable and stressed. As a result, we learn to avoid, suppress or withdraw from conflict, or act as though it doesn’t exist. The conflict in human life begins from the time the infant is in its mother’s womb. Would the child be male or female, prodigy or dunce, veritable beauty or ugliness personified? These are some of the questions that raise doubts in the minds of the parents and later, determine their attitudes towards the newly-born, especially if it is a female child.
These attitudes, in turn, leave an imprint or a scar on the child’s psyche which, in its own turn, influences their behaviour, that becomes the cause of conflicts in the society. In some societies, these are minor questions whereas in others, in which the female is still looked upon as an inferior being as compared to a male, these and related questions are considered as important, as they are linked to questions of dynastic continuity, division of property, the dowry system and so on.
The example of the gender-difference of the baby is now at the periphery of the wheel of problems. It comes to the forefront of discussions only when there are cases of bride-burning or pre-birth gender-tests. At the centre of the circle now is the trinity of social, economic and political conflicts. These conflicts have now taken a highly aggravated pitch. And, of these three, the political conflicts have, of late, taken a very virulent form.
A growing body of research has shown spirituality as a great antidote for all kinds of conflicts. From a spiritual perspective, the simplest and most powerful value needed for conflict resolution is respect. This is because most of the people don’t wish to negotiate when they are in possession of material power. Therefore, there’s an urgent need for those to realise and respect their inner powers.
For global conflicts, the solution lies with the leadership. Leaders of today must remember that any kind of change can be termed as real only when it affects grassroot operations. It is thus very important to recognise that the world shall change, when I change.