Beyond The Language Of Conflict: By Diran Avagyan

This week, I briefly followed the UN General Assembly, especially the speeches of leaders whose countries are in the midst of global conflict. Taken separately, most of the speeches were well prepared and eloquently delivered. Some were especially poignant and heart-wrenching.

However, the irony reveals itself when one tries to put the opposing points of view together, only to see how aggressors and victims change places as they shift blame onto one another. Everything seems to come down to subjectivity, to the angle from which we choose to perceive things.

The General Assembly will end soon, but the quintessential question will remain: How do we achieve peaceful coexistence among the peoples of the world?

The current state of affairs on the global stage calls into question the traditional methods of conflict resolution, namely negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and litigation. We see negotiations heading toward stalemate and ultimately failing. We see a lack of commitment on the part of mediators who pursue their own interests. Conflicts sometimes grow even greater when they reach arbitration and litigation.

It seems as though we are living in a new Babel, thirsty for power, resources, and space. How did God handle the chaos of Babel, though? How did He deal with ego, pride, corruption, and rebellion? God’s response was not to destroy the people or the Tower of Babel, the epitome of discord, but to disrupt the language that contributed to the problem. God changed their language.

And perhaps today’s global conflicts can be resolved only if we, figuratively, change the language of communication; if people connect on a basic human level, person to person and people to people, sharing space as we share in our common humanity, beyond politics, ethnicity, and religion.

Perhaps this is a utopian idea. But I believe it is one that can help us set boundaries that regulate without dividing, protect without alienating, and allow us to live together without hating. For God’s plan for humanity was never endless conflict, but a blessed and abundant life (Genesis 9:1).