Conflict Resolution: Lesions Learned in the Bahamas from
FATHER ABRAHAM
Father
Abraham is often referred as being the "father of many religions."
Gen.17;4 "And in thy seed shall all
the nations of the earth be blessed. Christianity, Jews, Islam all claims their
origin with father Abraham. Even some other East Asian religions also claim the
ancestral origin with Father Abraham. The Biblical character of Abraham is very
interesting. Father Abraham had gone through
THE TEST OF RELATIONSHIP, THE TEST SACRIFICE AND THE TEST OF FAITH…….., in other words a continuous internal and external conflicts in his life
personal, social and family life.
In the post
modern context an unexpected economic recession (slowdown the economic activities) which
causes a lot conflicts in the professional world. This also tested the
interpersonal and internal skills of conflict resolution. Even though the recession
created a lot of advantages on the one side, many people have lost a lot of cool
friends, money, job and even some family members during this recession because of the unexpected
economic pressure and the lack of skills to handle it.
Conflict
resolution is a range of methods for alleviating or eliminating sources of
conflict. Dispute arises in the professional and personal environment. Great
relationships develop not from the absence of conflict, but from influential agreeable pattern for how to resolve conflicts. In the Clinical Psychotherapist settings also we take initial contract with the clients as a process of healing. Defining the rules of
engagement for how you "fight" with someone or how you win an
argument is more important than never having a disagreement. All the games are followed though rules and rule of engagement. Anger is a strong
feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility. It is ok to be angry but how
you express you negative emotions are very important in conflict management and
resolution.
“In the common wealth of the Bahamas where the wealth are
not common for its citizens”, this is a same complain I hear while I was living in India. The situations are not different among many other common wealth nations around the world. The Arab
spring is the outcome of intolerance to this kind of injustice. This also has relevance with the postmodern deconstruction of the structures. For the tourist and astronomers Bahamas is a
paradise of the world. For the investors, trust companies Bahamas is a tax
heaven. For the trade and economic world Bahamas is the back door to the
Americas. To the world travelers it is one of the fifty best places in the
world to visit in your life time. For Poor and middle class Bahamas is one of the most
expensive place to live. For the consumerist world it is one of the most
expensive places in this hemisphere. It is one of the closest third world
countries to the most powerful nation in the world. For the fast food chains it
is the fastest money making centers. Japan car manufactures it is the dumping ground
for old user cars. For the product manufactures it is the consumerist heaven.
Electronic companies it is a place to resell the used products. For the underwater
divers the blue holes are world wonders. For the Ministers of God a safest
place to start their own franchisee. For the prophetic world it is the
prototype of the New Jerusalem. And the list goes on and on..........
Drug and sex trafficking, money laundering, brocken
family system, single parenting, lack of education or lack of skills for reasoning, murders, Gang fights, Gun fight, gang rape,
political disparities and clashes, human trafficking, corruptions, illegal
workforce, discrimination based on classes and financial status, gender
disparities, addiction and alcoholism, Chinese market invasion, higher murder
rate are common to all of us and everyday we live with it. Unfortunately our community is where
mediocrity considered to be a normalcy. We have issues to resolve.....
Father Abraham won the conflict of relationship (Conflict
with Lot his brother) by giving him the choice. Today when the choice become an
over choice, can we give the choice to our brother in our family, in our church
and in our social system. Can we wait for our brother on the road to pass by......Can we open the door for some one to get in.............. Abraham could have told LOT, yes I am one called by the God the ALL MIGHTY and the promise is to me and to my children. But Abraham was convinced and believed in the Lord and said the land is yours
and you take your decisions which one you want. The choice is given to the brother. He had taken the best for his yes..............but we know the rest of the story. Our choice need to be in the light of eternity.
The Test of Sacrifice was won by Abraham by obeying the
call of God. If God was faithful when he called you out of the rich and
developed city called Ur he will also be faithful to you no matter where you are. If God called you during the the riches time in the history he will also be faithful to during the recession and post recession.
The test of Faith was won by Abraham by destroying or
giving less value to the traditions, patterns, idols and every other practices
which were familiar to Abraham.
“Any fool can start a conflict but only a man of God can
solve it” that man was Father Abraham.
Father Abraham had many sons...Many sons had Father Abraham...I am one of them and so are
you. So let's all praise the Lord and resolve our conflict based on the Biblical principles.
Binu B. Peniel
2013 (C) binu.peniel@gmail.com
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