Encountering Conflict Sample Essay Essay

Prompt: It is the victims of conflict who show us what is really important When encountering conflict, victims usually do tend to display what our priorities are. But what is considered to be ‘really important’? Morals and ethics could be considered essential when encountering conflict as they allow us to solve a conflict by ‘doing the right thing’. This can include showing attributes such as honesty and justice. For the most part, victims of conflict show us what is morally right and just by their actions. However, there are some exceptions to this. There at times when victims of conflict can be influenced by others to divert from what is truly important, and directed to obtaining gratification instead. Furthermore, those who initiate the conflict tend to have different priorities, quite distinct from what we may consider important, and so they tend to not display what is ‘really important’ in the eyes of others. Victims of conflict can show us how morals and ethics are what is important. A clear example of this in history can be seen by the actions of African-American woman, Rosa Parkes. On Thursday, December 1, 1955, Parks was sitting in the front-most row for black people. When a Caucasian man boarded the bus, the bus driver told everyone in her row to move back to create a new row for the whites. While all of the other black people in her row complied, Parks refused, and was arrested for failing to obey the driver’s seat assignments, as city ordinances did not explicitly mandate segregation but did give the bus driver authority to assign seats. Found guilty on December 5 Parks was fined $10 plus a court cost of $4, but she appealed. Her brave actions however showed the world how justice and equality is important and morally right. Rosa Parks changed the way America discriminated against the blacks and is now considered one of the pioneers of the civil rights movement. Other factors of morals and ethics which are considered ‘important’ by most can include honesty and righteousness when encountering conflict. This is clearly portrayed in the film â€Å"A Separation† by Asghar Farhadi. The film is involved around a conflict between the families of Nader and Hodjat. When both families are at court trying to seek justice, the victims of the  conflict could be considered to be the children, who were being affected by the struggle but had no direct involvement in it. When questioned by the judge, both families distorted the truth, or simply lied in order to win the dispute. Termeh, the eleven year-old daughter of Nader however, portrays what was truly important at the time. When Termeh is swayed to lie in court in order to protect her father, she is shown crying in the film. This inner struggle within her shows us that what was truly important was to tell the truth in order to solve the conflict. Her lying in court only exacerbated the situation even further, thus demonstrating how a victim of conflict although influenced to do the wrong thing, did show us what is truly important. Additionally, Termeh is shown multiple times in the film, questioning her father of whether or not he was telling the truth about the murder of Razieh’s baby. Her moral values of honesty and integrity eventually cause Nader to confess the truth. This again is another example of a victim of conflict, showing us what is really important. It could be said that only the victims of conflict show us what is really important. This is because those who benefit from or initiate conflict often have priorities quite distinct from what we might consider important – thus they don’t show us what is truly important. In the film â€Å"A Separation†, both Nader and Razieh constantly lie in court in order to save themselves from justice. Nader is shown to say he did not push Razieh out of his house, and Razieh is shown multiple times saying Nader caused the death of her unborn baby. In their mind, what is important is to save themselves from being punished due to their wrong doings. What is truly important however, is justice and morals. Because both these individuals commenced the conflict, they do not show us what is ‘really important’. IT is true that victims of conflict can show us what is important. However, although they can, it does not mean they always do. Victims of conflict can be influenced by the more powerful to do the wrong thing and thus be directed away from seeking what is important. In the film â€Å"A Separation†, Termeh, a victim of conflict, although wanting to do the right thing, is influenced by her father’s wrong actions and thus is almost ‘forced’ into lying in order to protect Nader from his wrong doings. Although Termeh seeks to be honest, there at times when victims are influenced and as a result,  they simply divert from showing us what is really important. In general, although with some exceptions, victims of conflict tend to show us what is important by standing up or simply seeking morals and ethics when encountering conflict. This can be seen by the real-life example of Rosa Parkes, a woman who seeked justice and equality. Additionally, it can be seen in multiple scenes in the film ‘A Separation’, where the children (the victims) show us that morals and ethical behaviour is what is truly important at all times.