Enemies and Conflicts 1 - Intro ...

Monday, Oct 26, 2009. Not every conflict starts with a real fight right away. Most conflicts start much earlier. They start when different interests are there. They start about the distribution of resources. They start with different characters, different priorities, different ways to approach some task or to deal with some problem.

All resources on this planet are limited. There might be a lot of many things, but not enough at a particular place in a particular time. Many conflicts arise when resources need to be distributed. That is a matter of the system, a matter of the social and national organization. It is a question of power. Who distributes the resources under which conditions. The oil which fuels our cars and our economies is just one particular example. Everyone needs oil, and today it is in the hands of a few states only, and in these states it is in the hands of a few individuals or families, who get the income from these natural resources. Most people in these states do not gain anything.

But conflicts arise on a personal level as well. We work in a particular environment. Some people are classical “alpha animals”. They are natural leaders. They have particular strength - but they also have strong weaknesses. Usually these weaknesses generate many conflicts, which they solve using their sense for power and leave a sequence of victims on the side while they move from victory to victory.

There are conflicts even between brothers and sisters, between people who love each other. Conflicts arise when decisions need to be made: do we go swimming or have an ice cream? Do we go into London city today, or to the countryside? Who is allowed to use the computer for how long? Rather watch a film or go shopping?

Jesus has been surrounded by conflicts. His life itself was a source of deep and severe conflict. Was he the son of God? Just this claim made people hate him, and finally led to his death at the cross. Truth and its proclamation as a source of conflict remains until today, when we talk about this world and what constitutes it. We know conflicts when it comes to scientific content, and even more when we talk about politics, about philosophy, about social rules and money.

The bible talks a lot about conflict. It reflects the fights and quarrels which this world is made of. It also shows us a path through the conflicts and opens new possibilities to overcome conflicts. It describes a great vision, which is beyond conflict: peace. But this peace is not easy to gain. Peace as the real resolution of conflicts is one of the tasks of the loving God and creator.

We need clear guidance to resolve the conflicts of our time. We need goals and integrity, we need to know which tools to use and how to overcome the guilt and hatreds which are part of this world of conflict and hostility. Jesus can be our guide. He is called the “prince of peace”. His peace is not an empty peace, not a peace of a graveyard, where the losers are buried, but a peace of life, a peace with each other, a peace where every human reaches his or her full potential and lives in the joy of the Lord. ... more texts