Argue Like a Buddha: The 4 Skillful Responses to Conflict
Conflict is the basis of all growth
You hear a lot from Buddhism about how to deal with conflicts that are inside your own mind and body.
What you don’t hear as much about is how to deal with conflict out in the world.
At first glance, engaging in conflict seems contrary to the virtues of Buddhism: acceptance, compassion, non-aggression, etc.
But on deeper investigation, it’s an essential part of not just pursuing all of the above, but living an honest, kind, and conscious life.
Just like in meditation, we find that when in communication with other beings, suffering is optional, but pain is 100% inevitable.
As Buddhist teacher Ethan Nichtern says in The Road Home, “the pain of disagreement within human relationships will last until the end of the human race.”
There’s an inherent friction involved in multiple beings coming together and sharing their subjective experience through vocal vibrations.
We often believe it’s possible to avoid this pain.
We beat around the bush and choosing peace over honesty.
We communicate at a distance using technology and avoid difficult moments before we even know…
