Time keeps on slipping

I’ve discovered that finding time to write my blog will be more difficult than I imagined.  Everyone at Upeace is very active and there are a variety of student-led activities that we can get involved with.  Thus far, I have been filling my time outside of class and studying with Yoga, Spanish classes, and Ultimate Frisbee (although I must admit I am terrible at this last activity).

I took this past weekend to recuperate and attempt to get myself grounded; I suppose we will see how much this helped later in the week.  I have quite a lot to do in the next few days; 2 papers and a group project all before Friday, which happens to be the last day of our first class. 

We have a 3 day weekend and a final paper for this course due on Monday and then we begin our next class on Tuesday.  I find this fast pace to be exhilarating and I think I am up to the challenge.

Here is an excerpt from my first paper reflecting on the lectures, seminars, and readings during our first week of class:

The definition of peace as “the wholeness created by right relationships with oneself, other persons, other cultures, other life, Earth, and the larger whole of which all are apart” is not an inclusive definition; I chose this particular description of peace because it resonates most closely with my Western and cultural influences from which I have been taught the importance of individuality.  The discussion in our seminars, however, helped me to look outside this perspective and realize that this definition of peace makes several assumptions that are not always true such as individual peace may be obtainable in a given circumstance during war, for example.  Therefore, the definition of peace lies on a spectrum and may differ for everyone depending upon his or her cultural and educational background. 

The definition of conflict similarly exists on a spectrum although the accepted description appears to be coined by Rubin, Pruitt and Kim (1994): “conflict means perceived divergence of interests, or a belief that the parties’ current aspirations cannot be achieved simultaneously.”  This definition encompasses the heart of conflict and I think will serve as a good reference as we continue into the study of conflict management, resolution and transformation.  Theories of conflict according to Pruitt and Kim (2004) include contending, yielding, problem solving, and avoiding, each of these theories leading to an opposing strategy to deal with conflict, however, the author’s note, “conflicts differ in their complexity and importance, in the strategies to which they give rise, and in the solutions to which they lead” (7). Dr. Abdalla’s lecture on the characteristics of peace and conflict studies highlighted the importance of understanding the inevitability of conflict but emphasized that conflict does not always need to be harmful and conflict transformation can work to benefit both parties in a given situation.  Perspective plays a huge role in conflict and I deeply connected to Dr. Abdalla’s observation, “No one wakes up thinking he or she is the bad guy.”   

Because this was a reflection, we were encouraged to use first person pronouns though I honestly did not feel comfortable writing in this particular style and as you can see I shied away from it.  However, I would like to note that I received good marks for my first paperJ

Again, I promise pictures and I will deliver soon, hopefully, this coming weekend will provide more time for me to do so.  Please leave comments, dear readers at home; I would love to know what you would like to hear or what you think about my adventures.