Conflict - or “the world is in a mess”

We probably all agree with this most of the time, because we all feel uncomfortable with so many things. We feel stressed, burnt out, and the media are bashing us with a constant flow of stories about conflict. It seems as though conflict makes the world go round. Just spend a few moments trying to remember when you last heard a news story that did not relate to some conflict or other. When did you last watch a TV programme where conflict was not the main theme? How often does conflict provide the topic for our discussions? What do we talk about when there is no conflict? There are so many conflicts - between rich and poor, north and south, men and women, this political party and that, ecologists and non-ecologists, socialism and capitalism and so on, and so on. Newspapers, TV, and especially radio talk-shows thrive on it. Opinions are expressed, contradicted, argued. Strong thoughts and feelings are aroused and expressed or repressed. ‘I am right, you’re wrong’ and ‘I need everybody else to know that too’ is taking up a lot of mental energy in people. And sometimes conflict spills over into action. Wars are being fought, crimes are being committed, lives are being wasted in conflict and battles.

It would not be difficult to imagine that some very sensitive, observant aliens would quickly come to the conclusion that conflict is the psychological fuel that keeps us Earthlings going. We appear to be almost addicted to it. But doesn’t this contradict our deep but unacknowledged craving for peace, certainty, permanence and perfection?

There obviously is a contradiction if we look at it the way we are used to looking at it. But in a wider context both our need for certainty and our attachment to conflict are big business. The marketing and selling of cars can serve as an example. They are usually marketed with both elements. The shape, brand, colour and other aspects can suggest certainty, solidity, permanence, security, reliability. In addition there are elements that speak to our need for conflict, competition, being better, faster, safer, stronger than the other brands on the market. The skill in marketing and selling seems to be to address both human needs concurrently.

What we lose sight of in all this is the fact that certainty is a soul-quality, while conflict is a characteristic of the world of matter. If we look at it like this, the whole story changes. We find that our culture has turned soul qualities of certainty (truth) and permanence (eternity) into marketing tools. We are led to believe that we can buy states of mind that used to be the province of religion and spirituality. We are also led to believe that the qualities of matter are at least equal to the qualities of the soul, because both appear to be connected with objects.

This is not so. According to the ancient Eastern teachings what we perceive as reality is not. What we perceive is only the world of matter which is based in the principle of duality, and which ultimately is an illusion that we can transcend. On the basis of this hypothesis I should therefore like to encourage you to trust your unease with the world as it seems to be. That unease could be your first step towards finding real peace and certainty deep within you.

Reflection: Conflict and Fear 

1. Spend a few moments reflecting on what certainty and conflict mean for you.

Remember times in your life when you felt very certain about yourself, or a situation, or your life, or your future. What was it like to feel like that? Where in your body did you feel it? How long did the certainty last? 

Remember situations in your life when you were thriving on conflict. Which emotions were dominant for you then? Excitement, anger, joy? Where in your body did you feel those feelings? How did you feel when the conflict was over?

2. Now look back over your life and see what role fear has played in your life. How is fear keeping you stuck? What have you been afraid of? What would need to happen for you to let go of your fear?

3. Read the following poem and reflect on it for a few minutes with your eyes closed.

The choice for love

What does the voice of fear

whisper to you?

Fear speaks to you

in logic and reason.

It assumes the language

of love itself.

Fear tells you,

“I want to make you safe.”

Love says,

“You are safe.”

Fear says,

“Give me symbols.

Give me frozen images.

Give me something

I can rely on.”

Loving truth says,

“Only give me

this moment.”

Fear would walk you

on a narrow path

promising to take you

where you want to go.

Love says,

“Open your arms

and fly with me.”

Every moment of your life

you are offered the opportunity

to choose -

love or fear,

to tread the earth

or to soar the heavens. 

Taken from: Emmanuel’s Book II, The Choice for Love, Bantam Books, New York, 1989, pp. 3-4