When_Conflict_Arises,_It_Is_Impossible_Not_to_Take_a_Side,_Everyone_Has_a_Role

Encountering Conflict: Prac. Context Essay 1. Prompt: “When Conflict Arises, It Is Impossible Not To Take A Side, Everyone Has A Role” When conflict arises, it is impossible not to take a side, everyone has a role. It is difficult to control the choice of taking and being part of a conflict, because with any decision in almost all circumstances has an effect on the conflict, walking away in itself is playing a role. In a conflict there are sides with different views of what is the truth; this is the centre of the matter. Objectivity, whether intentions are positive or not, it would always result in some sort of separation such as criticism or alienation. In the end resolution is needed to establish some sort of common ground, but this would be the most difficult of the stages in a conflict to be pursued. When conflict arises, truth often becomes a matter of perception rather than reality. In the case of the first settlers in Australia, they declared Australia as “Terra Nullius” meaning empty land and so they could claim this land as ownership of England. The conflict here is the fact that the perspective of what the settlers defined as being “empty land”, where there was clearly hundreds of thousands of Indigenous Australians living here, visible and present, was their own personal and cultural idea to believe that, that was the truth, that there were certain guidelines that had to be met to prove that this was a civilized society but when facing reality, there was nothing empty about this land, to be more precise, this was a populated, living and breathing land that was literally being invaded. The settlers attitude towards what they felt about what the Indigenous Australians believed about their land, is evident when Blackwood explains to Thornhill “Not a matter of ask up here mate. Get your backside on a bit of ground, sit tight. That’s all the asking you got to do.” Individuals who try to remain objective in a conflict often find themselves alienated or subject to criticism. The fuel that helps drive the different sides of a conflict is the definite support from others, those that become allies and display loyalty that comfort these separate sides that they believe that their argument is the justiciable one. Unfortunately situations like these aren’t always as easy as they seem, to choose a side has a lot of responsibility of the consequences that are attached to these choices. You face the challenge of interpreting and deciding which case of the dispute in your perspective is the truth. It is impossible not to take a side for not accepting to be a part of a conflict is a motion in itself of taking a side, being neutral and supporting neither side causes frustration and anger, this resulting in you being scrutinized about the assurance of your loyalty. Even when your intentions are to keep peace between you and each side by being neutral, the overall circumstances can inflict alienation on you from both parties. Smasher Sullivan criticizes Thornhills attitude towards the indigenous Australians saying “Don’t come crying to me, Will Thornhill… When you get a spear in your guts.” Arguing the different mindset and approach that Thornhill has to the Indigenous Australians compared to Smasher, therefore creating suspicions from Smasher about which side Thornhill is really a part of, with him or against him. The resolution of conflict only occurs when common ground is found and individuals are able to rediscover some objectivity. In order for some sort of compromise to take place, both sides must have the will to lose or sacrifice something in order to agree on anything that will lead to an understanding of truth. In wards one side needs to lose for the conflict to be over, and regardless of who wins or loses, it is most likely that both sides have had to suffer life losses in return to win their point of view. While everyone has a role in the course of a conflict, they also play a role in reaching for a common ground to create resolution in the conflict. Sometimes when things become clear it is already too late to resolve your mistakes from the conflict, and you are stuck with a mental scar of knowing what the real truth and the real facts really are. “Too late, too late.” Thornhill feels no triumph on his land anymore as he reflects on what he and the other settlers have done and how negative the impact their arrival has had on the Indigenous Australians and their land. The conclusion of this statement is that different aspects contribute to what creates conflict, what rages it on, and how it can be resolved. When conflict arises, the situation becomes a battle or a war of dispute and argument over whose perspective of the case is the truth. It is impossible not to take a side for being objective can have your loyalty criticized from both sides of the conflict for not showing support to what each side is disputing about, ultimately you become alienated. Everyone has a role, trying to prevent a conflict, walking away from a conflict, assisting one side in provoking the other, influencing one side not to resolve anything until satisfied, being the first one to light the fire of the conflict, all of this is playing a role in the nature of a conflict. Conflict can become present in the smallest of scenarios such as supporters of opposite sport teams, to the more highlighted in our society such as politics.