Imagine being faced with a horrible, mind-numbing dilemma. What would the majority of people do? Is there aggravation? Is there a sense of desolation or agitation? Or complete joy? There are many ways to react to difficult situations. But it’s likely that these are not all possible responses. Former president Ronald Reagan said, “Peace is not an absence of conflicts, it’s the ability to deal with conflict through peaceful means.”
A relaxed approach to conflict can help prevent it from getting worse. A fight between siblings could escalate if they keep yelling back-and-forth, encouraging their siblings to get louder. This can lead to a more violent fight. The conflict can escalate if the sibling who is fighting is calmer. Margot! Margot! Everyone is always praising Margot, and Anne is annoyed. To keep Anne from getting into a conflict, Margot protests the comparison calmly. Margot could have shouted at Anne to get her attention, causing an even greater conflict and causing a fight between Anne & Margot. According to Anne Frank’s Diary, Mrs. Frank recklessly says, “Mrs. Frank: [Paying zero attention, going into Mrs. Van Daan] Don’t be fooled by me! He always has the best bits! I’ve watched you daily and kept my mouth shut. But no more! This is it! I want him out of here! I want him out of here!” Mrs. Frank used to keep a cool tone throughout the day and prevent a fight. But in this play, she broke her silence, causing tension between Mr. Dussel and the Van Daans. Second, it is possible to keep people from taking unreasonable decisions during heated conflicts by maintaining a calm attitude. Let’s take, for example, Mrs. Frank’s remark (Mrs. Frank: [Paying zero attention, going in front of Mrs. Van Daan] You’re not far from me! He always has the best bits! I have watched you every day, and kept my mouth shut. But no more! This is it! Now I want to see him go! I want him out !”),. He has made the wrong, dangerous and unwise decision to move the Van Daans out of their hiding place. She could have prevented this outburst after years of coexisting peacefully and hiding. But she didn’t.
Peter attempted to hit his father with a chair when he realized that he was making poor decisions. Peter is pushed away, as the text explains. Peter grabbed a chair as though to hit his father. Then he buried his face in the chair . Thirdly, it is best to remain calm. This will help you to have a neutral and even better attitude. Anne Frank is a good example. Anne Frank was the first to tell Peter, before Van Daans hid, that Peter couldn’t throw …?. You were branded with …? You were made to wear this so they can spit at you. Anne: Yes, I do. Yes, I do. But it’s the Star of David. A mellow person will be happier. For example, the Revolutionary War saw the Japanese treated with disrespect but they were never really a problem because they kept their cool even during the most difficult times.
There are many counter-arguments to my claims. My first argument (P2) can be countered by stating that, even though a calm attitude can help prevent an argument from getting out of control, anger can still lead to further arguments.
My argument is that even the disturbed individual ignores calm individuals, the angry person will not form new arguments. This is because they have no other people to argue with and the argument won’t escalate. My second reason (P3) can be countered by saying that conflict isn’t always an argument.
You can have conflict over a lack supplies or being stuck on an island. To this argument, I would argue that in all situations, it is easier for you to keep calm and come up with the right decisions. The last argument is that calm does not necessarily mean a positive attitude. I counter that calmness can help you see the good side of things. It will also keep you from being negative. A calm attitude is the best for conflict situations.
There may be a conflict, food shortages, or other factors. You can always keep your glow even when there’s not much light. Quoting Greg McKeown, “Take a deep breath. Take a deep breath and be present in the moment. Then, you will see the truth. Conflict is not what is most important. What you do about it is the most important.
