IN THE PROCESS OF CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION, DISTRUST IS SOMETIMES NEEDED AS A REALITY CHECK Reading notes from J.P. Lederachs The Moral Imagination (2005, Oxford University Press), pp. 51-63 The growing technique-oriented view of change in settings of violence seems to be dominating much of professional conflict resolution approaches. But people at the local community level express three prevalent feelings vis-a-vis technique-oriented conflict resolution approaches: suspicion, indifference, and distance. What do people who live in settings that are moving from war to peace teach us about the challenge of understanding the nature of genuine constructive social change? What do these insights and challenges suggest to us about the nature and place of the moral imagination in human affairs? The Gift of Pessimism. In deep-rooted conflict, people locate themselves and change and gauge authenticity within an expansive view of time and an intuitive sense of complexity. These create a cautious approach to promises that constructive social change will happen in a short period of time, independent of the historical context in which the violence has evolved. In short, there is pervading ethos of pessimism. This does not mean that the desired changes are not hoped for or possible, even in the short term. But pessimism provides a point of departure for understanding the nature of change. Gauging whether the change process is genuine requires serious engagement with the complexity of the situation and a long-term view. The Moral Imagination, Pessimism, and Constructive Change. To sustain constructive change, the moral imagination will need to address the challenges posed by the paradoxes of what makes change genuine. Pessimism does not merely identify the presence of distrust. Cycles of violence and decades of division certainly create a lack of trust, and change processes of peace are largely aimed at restoring trust. We can take a lack of trust as a given early, often, and throughout the change processes moving from war to peace. The Key Gift. Constructive pessimism teaches us that distrust is needed as a reality check to assure that change is not superficial or disguising other intentions. Distrust assures us that we are not dipping into and promoting a cheap hope; it keeps us authentic. When the local people in the community show distrust and pessimism during the initial segment of our engagement with them, welcome it as a gift. Continue our services with love, patience, transparency and authenticity.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 11:54:51 +0000
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