It is common for a community, big and small, to have certain conflicts arise from time to time. Communities are formed by different sets of people with varying views and experiences. It is not surprising if friction arises from these differences now and then.
Although conflict is common among communities, it is better to find ways on how to maintain peace within your environment. Constant friction may lead to a strain in relationships within the community. This may not be beneficial to the people in the long run.
What a Peaceful Community Looks Like
What does a peaceful and healthy community look like?
A healthy community provides equal access to resources to each individual. Healthcare, transportation, and recreation are important resources that an individual needs to live peacefully. By providing equal access to these resources, conflict may be avoided.
This is not to say that a peaceful community knows no conflict. A peaceful and healthy community knows how to handle community disputes properly when friction arises. Disagreements may emerge now and then but a good community cooperates well in settling these disputes.
Importance of Peaceful Communities
A peaceful community allows its members to live their lives normally each day. Having a peaceful community promotes healthy community development as the people within the community aim to help each other grow. Peace in a community affects all aspects of one’s life so maintaining a peaceful community is critical especially in recognizing human rights.
Through the promotion of healthy communities, people are given the opportunity to grow and develop themselves in a nurturing and supportive environment that is free from unhealthy relationships. What are common disputes that arise within a community?
Common Community Disputes
In a community, there are common disputes that arise from time to time. As a community member, one should be aware of these common disputes so that you can learn how to manage such situations.
There is such a thing as a task conflict that involves issues that are related to the assignment of tasks in an organization. Within a community or a community’s organization, this may come in the form of conflict in task delegation. Who should be assigned for this task? Why was he selected to do a specific task instead of me?
Another type of conflict is the relationship conflict. This is brought about by differences in personality and character. In organizations where people from all walks of life come together, it is no surprise that this type of conflict may arise.
The third type of conflict is the value conflict. This arises from differences in values, beliefs, and identities. It involves conflict due to differences in religion, race, and other personal beliefs.
These are three umbrella terms for the types of conflicts within a community. Although conflict is a natural occurrence, how can we avoid deep friction within members of the community?
Maintain Peace and Order
There are ways on how to avoid deep friction within a community. First, the community must recognize that conflicts will arise from time to time. This will allow a more healthy discussion of concerns when these issues arise. It may be difficult at first to recognize the existence of conflicts but it is a necessary step towards creating a more peaceful community.
The next step is to analyze the situation. What is the issue at hand? What are the things that can be done? You need to be able to look at the bigger picture so that you can resolve the issue at hand. For example, when it comes to local communities, it is common for conflicts regarding land ownership to arise. Whether it is between members of the community or between an individual and the government, these issues may be difficult to avoid. In this situation, it may be best to be involved in conservation agreement litigation to settle this dispute.
Lastly, there should be open communication. As with any organization and community, proper communication is the key to success and a peaceful settlement of concerns. Be open-minded when it comes to discussions to avoid heated arguments that will simply waste your time.
Conflict resolution within communities and organizations may be a difficult adjustment for some. Maintaining peace and order within a community is not an easy task. Each member of the community has their own daily responsibilities that when community conflicts arise, it is often faced with immediate tension and heated discussions.
Although conflict resolution is an important aspect of community building, these issues cannot be avoided. It is much more healthy and realistic for communities to realize how to deal with these conflicts so that when they arise, healthy communication will ensue.
