We are learning in our modern societies that prevention is the best cure when it comes to fighting disease. The best way to deal with heart attacks, for example, better than the most sophisticated bypass operations, is to prevent them through good nutrition, regular exercise, and medication. The priority of prevention holds in the arena of destructive conflict too.
Prevention means addressing the root causes of conflict and laying the foundation for the cooperative management of differences. Conflict usually arises in the first place from frustrated needs. Tensions over conflicting needs can easily escalate when people lack the proper skills or attitudes to defuse them. Good relationships, moreover, are key to preventing conflict.
Our challenge is to learn to embed prevention in the fabric of normal life. We can enable others to meet their basic needs, give them the skills to handle disputes, and help them forge relationships across lines of conflict. These constitute the three main preventive roles of the third side: the Provider, the Teacher, and the Bridge-Builder.
"Confront the difficult while it is still easy; accomplish the great task by a series of small acts." Lao-Tzu
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