It Is Through Conflict That We Grow
‘It is through conflict that we grow”
Most people don’t like conflict, majority find it stressful and destructive so it is usually avoided. But dispute is inevitable, without it we wouldn’t hear new ideas and work to create new solutions. Oskar Schindler, John Proctor and Hugh Thompson were people who were able to positively grow from events that involved conflict.
The Salem witch trials of 1692, involved a series of prosecutions with people being accused of witch craft in colonial Massachusetts. Many innocent lives were lost due to the suspicion and lies of their fellow residents. For many it way easier to lie and put a ‘friend’ under suspicion, then to argue their own innocence. John Proctor was a man who had been suspected of committing adultery with Abigail Williams, but denied all allegations “I will cut off my hand before I ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of your mind. We never touched”. That was until the judge asks Proctor to recite the 10 commandments, Proctor admits to his affair with Abigail in order to expose the liar that Abigail is and protect the innocence of his wife Elizabeth. Proctor continued to show growth when Elizabeth asks John to ‘save himself’ by going against his morals and “confessing” to having dealings with the devil. But instead John decides to revoke his confession because he would rather be hung then see his name on the church door and be falsely made an example of.
The My Lai massacre occurred during the Vietnam war in 1968, and saw the murder of between 347 and 504 innocent, unarmed Vietnamese civilians by U.S Forces, most were women and children. Originally 26 U.S soldiers were charged for their actions but only one platoon leader Charlie Company was convicted. Charlie was given a life sentence, but only served three and a half years under house arrest. Hugh Thompson was a helicopter pilot from an aero-scout team, was flying above and saw many death and wounded civilians, he witnessed an unarmed women being kicked
Most people don’t like conflict, majority find it stressful and destructive so it is usually avoided. But dispute is inevitable, without it we wouldn’t hear new ideas and work to create new solutions. Oskar Schindler, John Proctor and Hugh Thompson were people who were able to positively grow from events that involved conflict.
The Salem witch trials of 1692, involved a series of prosecutions with people being accused of witch craft in colonial Massachusetts. Many innocent lives were lost due to the suspicion and lies of their fellow residents. For many it way easier to lie and put a ‘friend’ under suspicion, then to argue their own innocence. John Proctor was a man who had been suspected of committing adultery with Abigail Williams, but denied all allegations “I will cut off my hand before I ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of your mind. We never touched”. That was until the judge asks Proctor to recite the 10 commandments, Proctor admits to his affair with Abigail in order to expose the liar that Abigail is and protect the innocence of his wife Elizabeth. Proctor continued to show growth when Elizabeth asks John to ‘save himself’ by going against his morals and “confessing” to having dealings with the devil. But instead John decides to revoke his confession because he would rather be hung then see his name on the church door and be falsely made an example of.
The My Lai massacre occurred during the Vietnam war in 1968, and saw the murder of between 347 and 504 innocent, unarmed Vietnamese civilians by U.S Forces, most were women and children. Originally 26 U.S soldiers were charged for their actions but only one platoon leader Charlie Company was convicted. Charlie was given a life sentence, but only served three and a half years under house arrest. Hugh Thompson was a helicopter pilot from an aero-scout team, was flying above and saw many death and wounded civilians, he witnessed an unarmed women being kicked