Conflict The Prevailing Cultural Myth; What’s Wrong?
I contend that all the conflict can be understood through the lens of the “Prevailing Cultural Myth.” This myth has dominated our lives for 3,000 years and has spawned a level of thinking, which has us locked into a constant struggle with life. This level of thinking explains why we don’t attract what we want, and why conflict is an epidemic. There are three devastating fallacies propagated by our cultural story. They are:
- Arbitrary rules,
- Separation Philosophy,
- and Self-Condemnation.
When we discuss the myth, we are exploring the most common challenges we face. You cannot have solutions without challenges. RD&T magazine is here for your solutions. It is important to understand the problem so we can find effective solutions. Ten percent of our time will be spent defining the problem, and 90% on the solution. Get ready for the 10%.
We learned in the article, “Relationships: Purpose and Meaning of Your Life,” that we live in a world of duality. Opposites were created for you to understand and experience life. Society has conditioned us to look for what is wrong in almost every situation. We have been taught to focus on the problem. This may have been useful at certain points in our evolution. We have entered the age of transformation and we need solutions now. Let’s look at how humanity veered off course so we can right the ship of life.
The Beginning of Conflict
When a ship goes off course early in its journey, it will stray far from its original destination. We have been off course for so long, that we have forgotten our original destination. This misdirection started with humanity’s first relationship. Adam and Eve set us up for eons of relationship conflict. Because conflict is so pervasive, most people’s first step on their journey to what works in a relationship is to learn the best conflict management skills (see our articles on Relationship IQ, The Path of Least Resistance and Conflict Management). Common sense dictates that the best way to have a healthy relationship is to become an expert at managing conflict. This strategy is logical on the surface, but is ultimately exhausting and unfulfilling. We are shooting for a higher goal than conflict management.
