Resources

Conflict is described in many ways. I offer here my own description of conflict in three parts: 1) Conflict is where past and future meet, 2) Conflict is learning, 3) Conflict is a complex dynamic. With each part, I offer a link to the elements of HSD thought that best connect with my description, and I provide simple questions to help readers apply the theory in practical ways.

You don't just have a story - you're a story in the making, and you never know what the next chapter's going to be. That's what makes it exciting.                                                                                     Dan Millman

“It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.”                                                                ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

“The future is already here. It just isn’t equally distributed.”           William Gibson, quoted in The Economist, December 4, 2003

Whenever I talk about my work with someone, they eventually ask me for tips on how to deal with a difficult person. Often the difficulty arises when they, or the other, lose their temper. I find this to be a very common and important question both in the workplace and in our homes. We all get angry, and we all deal with the anger of others. It is life. It is human.

In today's world, facilitators work with groups to address issues that are more complex and challenging than ever before. They deal with forces that rock their clients’ worlds. They address the partisan impacts of diversity at local and global scales. Facilitators value the importance of relationships and connections over time, in addition to relying on the notions of cause and effect.