Words: 1144
Encountering Conflict – Secret river ‘A conflict’s importance lies not in its causes but in its consequences. ‘ In today’s rising society, where we experience people willing to strive to their maximum potential by any means necessary, it becomes blatantly obvious to why we often overlook the implications we inflict on others. We are sometimes aware of our actions, acting in spite or in fear, and sometimes ignorant to the situation, unaware of the consequences we deliver. The question is however ??? where does the importance of conflict lie ??? in its causes?
Or in its consequences? It seems evident that there are many people will use their spite and fear and perhaps even compassion to exacerbate conflict. People all too easily become to involved in their own importance, that it can begin a ‘domino effect’ of devastating and/or insightful consequences. At the height of illegal immigrants entering Australian seas, attempting to escape a word riddled with danger and controversy, many implications are unleashed, effecting themselves and others in the process.
When faced with an opportunity to enhance or protect our lives and that of our families lives, it is only natural to act upon it ??? which is what we often do. What is more uncommon is the acknowledgement of those people and their current and future situations. Societies have always had to adjust to survive. These refugees long for a sense of belonging amidst the crowding poverty of third world countries. Along side of the negative connotations attached to these asylum-seekers is the judgement and discrimination, perhaps being the consequence of the way they bombard themselves on us, dangerously and illegally.
Or perhaps the cause of something larger, fleeing from turmoil to make a better life for themselves and/or others by any means necessary, much like we would do just to secure mere trivialities. What we really do need to ask our selves – Is the rising tide of aggression and anti-social behaviour, now so prevalent in our society and our streets, a symptom of the descent into Armageddon? Or is this the darkest hour before the dawn? A question rarely easy to answer, but an important one to decipher.
It would be highly ignorant to say that the consequences are the most important aspect of conflict in all cases when it is evident that the causes play just as big a part. The Australian Aboriginals themselves had to adjust to survive. They had to find a way to live in this land after they first arrived. If Aboriginals were not to continue in conflict with the land and the others they shared it with, change became a necessity. Over time they developed a harmonious way to live and prosper within the limitations of their environment ??? a harmony that became enshrined within their culture.
Modern Society is, at an incredible rate, exploiting and using up resources, that we will not have the luxury of 40,000 years to find a new way of life in order to survive. Our society could do worse than to try and learn a little from the first Australians. One only has to look at Kate Grenville’s main protagonist in ‘The Secret River’, William Thornhill, ending the book on his verandah, gazing wistfully out at the ridge across the river, willing an appearance by people of the Aboriginal clan he had been instrumental in displacing, and thinking the same thing.
When considering the types of conflicts faced by individuals ??? personal conflict, interpersonal conflict and extra personal conflict, we must also acknowledge the moral dilemmas, such as racism or differences with immediate others and social unrest, such as war. All of which could end in good or bad consequences. It is also imperative to consider the various ways in which people can encounter conflict in their lives and how they deal with and resolve the battles and challenges they face – The Immigrants for example. Either way you look at it conflict is inevitably encountered by everyone and in different ways.
Two notorious racist groups ??? The Nazi’s and the Klu Klux Klan (KKK), show just how their actions have led to the destruction of lives, communities and the negative influences each has had on racial beliefs. Through these horrific actions, devastating stories depict selfishness, anger and compassion ??? all a consequence of trying to survive, and/or the cause of the next conflict along the infectious line. This destruction has embedded itself on the walk ways of our streets. The social hierarchy, still massively evident in today’s society as back in the colonial times that the famous’ are able to bend the laws, while a low or middle class person gets punished for the same crime. We claim to have come a long way since the first settlers roamed our land, yet everyday, people ignore the stories and create conflict ‘just for the hell of it’. Our actions will always decide our future. It is the causes and implications that follow that prove to be the critical aspect of any conflict. It is also our inability to place ourselves in the shoes of others, that make it so easy to cause conflict and ignore the consequences it may inflict.
Novels, such as the ‘The Secret River’, provide a great insight into ‘encountering conflict’, something, perhaps, we are all to naive or to arrogant to acknowledge. Although conflict can never be avoided, societies negative attitudes towards racism, religion and social ‘outcasts’ can, to allow for a new path way, where the implications may or can be lessened. Words : 1200 Encountering Conflict. Statement of Explanation Conflict undoubtedly can lead to devastating or insightful implications.
In this essay I plan to talk about the importance of encountering conflict, addressing the causes and the consequences. It will be discussed in a knowledgeable and direct tone, so that the audience can grasp the importance of the essay, pinpointing the human reactions to conflict, the types of conflict ??? personal conflict, interpersonal conflict and extra personal conflict ??? and what could be changed to ensure a better future for a society. The language that I will use will be directed at the more educated of people, as the essay will be published in the ‘Life and Culture’ section of the daily newspaper.
I will explore racial groups such as the Nazi’s and the Klu Klux Klan and their negative impact on society. I will also explore current issues in the media such as illegal immigrants to convey my points. My choice of words ??? ‘devastating’, ‘insightful’, ‘arrogant’ and ‘naive’, will be placed to demonstrate to the audience the different points of views when comparing the causes and consequences in conflict. I will be referring to the text ‘The Secret River’, by Kate Grenville and discussing the ideas and themes associated within it.