Mindfulness and Conflict Resolution
How a simple technique could transform the world
Although conflict is an inevitable part of the human experience, it is possible to transform it into a growth experience by arming oneself with cognitive, emotional, and practical tools that can aid in conflict resolution.
Mindfulness, an ancient Buddhist concept becoming more popular by the day among jungle hippies and high-status business executives alike, is rapidly becoming more and more prolific in the literature on conflict resolution.
The concept of mindfulness has changed substantially over time; it was originally rooted firmly within an ancient Buddhist ethical, philosophical, and cultural framework. Originally, it meant that one would exercise discerning judgment of the actions of their body, speech, and mind, in order to observe whether they were leading oneself and others towards suffering, or away from suffering.
Today, however, the concept of mindfulness has been plucked from its original context and has evolved and adapted to the needs of the modern world. That’s a world in which we constantly judge ourselves and we’re rarely in the moment…So nowadays, mindfulness is most commonly defined as the intentional, accepting and non-judgmental focus of one’s attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring…
