Difference between "conflict" and "violence"

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Violence

Violence is alway negative, because it always causes destruction to both sides in the conflict, it always leads further and further away from a possible agreement. This means violence destroys not only the present, but also the future.

Conflict

The word "conflict" can be understood in two ways:

• either negatively when it's coupled with violence (armed conflict)

• or positively when it enables the two parties to express through dialogue their opposition, their disagreement, without resorting to violence.
  In this case, the ability for each side to express the disagreement will allow them to understand the other's position, and from there, to try and transform their disagreement into an agreement.

How can one shift from destructive violence to constructive conflict?

Our human relations (i.e. our social life with other humans), lead  to opposing opinions, tensions and conflicts.

The key questions are thus:

• How can we canalise the urges for violence that can surge up from a disagreement so that these remain the least destructive possible?

• How can we make this disagreement become a constructive conflict so that the disagreement can be transformed into an agreement, without degenerating into violence?

• Or, if violence has already broken out, how can we transform the destructive impulses on both sides into a constructive conflict where the diverging positions are instead transmitted with words?

Possible ways for a conflict to evolve

Conflict, in the sense of opposing positions, can be resolved if the two parties either agree to reciprocal concessions or creatively develop a third possibility.

Conflict will get bogged down and worsen, however, if the two parties camp on their positions, without making the effort to imagine other mutually acceptable exit paths.

What are the benefits of a constructive conflict?

Constructive conflict is the clear expression of a disagreement with the shared objective of reaching an agreement that resolves the conflict.

Expressing disagreement through dialogue is healthy, because it enables each side to recognise the existence and the dimension of the conflict, without which no agreement can be found. Expressing disagreement can thus be a valuable personal goal if our sincere objective is finding a mutually acceptable agreement.