Travelling the Road of Peace and Happiness.
IF YOU ANSWER YES TO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS, YOU WOULD BENEFIT FROM THIS BOOK.
Home and work are the two areas of life that most affect our happiness. If both of those are going well, life can be great, even though there may be some bad patches. As long as one or the other is peaceful, we might claim to be 'generally happy' but if there is constant turmoil and stress at home and at work, life can be hell. it is possible to develop a culture of peace and harmony at home and work using the same basic tools because the causes of conflict and unhappiness are the same at home and at work.
Regardless of what role we play in life, we have all known some form of family life and are familiar with the problems and conflicts within families. That is why family situations are used throughout Travelling the Road of Peace and Happiness as examples for explaining the dynamics of conflict and how to respond to conflict. As the reader, you are invited to make the connections to your own situation at home and at work.
Some readers say Travelling the Road of Peace and Happiness is a parenting book, which it is, but it also applies to any situation at work, because the dynamics of disputes between siblings or between workers are the same. Only the names, faces and the number of people involved are different. The dynamics for avoiding conflict or responding to conflict are also the same at home and at work, or in any setting where people's needs clash.
‘In this book the 'parent’ represents anyone in a position of authority, or anyone who is involved in caring for others or making rules, and ‘the child’ is anyone who is being supervised or guided, and has to follow rules. ‘The Parent’ is also anyone, such as a teacher or employer, who is responsible for setting limits and responding when rules are broken. For these situations, the clear distinction made between consequences and punishments, is very helpful in dealing with the problems without damaging relationships. That, of course, is something we all need to be able to do when we feel 'wronged' in some way. The chapters on discipline, restorative action, and the systems required for building and maintaining an inclusive school community can help relationships between teachers, parents and students.
Chapter one begins by using a baby’s cry as a sign that a problem exists. The conflict is between the baby’s need for food and the mother’s need for sleep. This example is basically no different to that of a worker threatening to go on strike to let the boss know there is a need for a rise in wages. If the mother ignores the baby’s cry, or the boss ignores the cry of the worker, the result will be the same: the noise will get louder. One difference is that the baby can only make a noise but disgruntled workers can cause disruptions that severely damage a business or organisation.
Travelling the Road of Peace and Happiness applies to all of the above and more because it explores fundamentals that we carry with us into every situation. Fundamentals such as:
These four themes are inter-woven and form the fabric of the book. The first theme is the most important because it deals with the foundation of who we are; our identity as a person, including our attitude to other people and to life in general. We are our relationships, and our happiness depends on the quality of those relationships. No matter what we work on in life, we need to get the foundation right, and everything else can then be compared to it for consistency and stability. When something goes wrong, the foundation provides the starting point for finding the cause of the problem and putting it right again. Travelling the Road of Peace and Happiness identifies 'equal but different' as the fundamental requirement for human relationships. Therefore, a move towards equality is the foundation that supports and guides every idea and action described in the entire book.
The people and circumstances may be different in each dispute but the dynamics leading to bad outcomes are the same regardless of whether the conflict is in the home, at work, school, or between organisations or nations. The causes are the same for each setting and so the guidelines for a peaceful solution are the same. Travelling the Road of Peace and Happiness provides a compass to guide us in whatever role we play; to avoid or resolve negative conflict. Regardless of whether we are politicians, parents, teachers, principals, bosses, workers, club members, club executives, and so on, we will have relationship problems with some people at some time.
Working from a foundation of 'equal but different' provides us with a kit of tools and the guidelines to effectively use them in any situation. We can be confident because there is direction, purpose and meaning in what we do. Every discussion we have with other people throughout the day provides an opportunity to use these tools, even when solving minor problems. And the more we practice, the better we become at using them. The outcome may not always be ideal but there is the satisfaction that a genuine attempt was made to improve relationships.
IF YOU ANSWER YES TO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS, YOU WOULD BENEFIT FROM THIS BOOK.
- Are you a parent who wants to create a culture of peace and harmony in the home?
- Are you an employer who wants to create a culture of cooperation and productivity to reduce absenteeism and staff turnover?
- Do you need to improve a love relationship?
- Do you want to improve relationships at home or at work?
Home and work are the two areas of life that most affect our happiness. If both of those are going well, life can be great, even though there may be some bad patches. As long as one or the other is peaceful, we might claim to be 'generally happy' but if there is constant turmoil and stress at home and at work, life can be hell. it is possible to develop a culture of peace and harmony at home and work using the same basic tools because the causes of conflict and unhappiness are the same at home and at work.
Regardless of what role we play in life, we have all known some form of family life and are familiar with the problems and conflicts within families. That is why family situations are used throughout Travelling the Road of Peace and Happiness as examples for explaining the dynamics of conflict and how to respond to conflict. As the reader, you are invited to make the connections to your own situation at home and at work.
Some readers say Travelling the Road of Peace and Happiness is a parenting book, which it is, but it also applies to any situation at work, because the dynamics of disputes between siblings or between workers are the same. Only the names, faces and the number of people involved are different. The dynamics for avoiding conflict or responding to conflict are also the same at home and at work, or in any setting where people's needs clash.
‘In this book the 'parent’ represents anyone in a position of authority, or anyone who is involved in caring for others or making rules, and ‘the child’ is anyone who is being supervised or guided, and has to follow rules. ‘The Parent’ is also anyone, such as a teacher or employer, who is responsible for setting limits and responding when rules are broken. For these situations, the clear distinction made between consequences and punishments, is very helpful in dealing with the problems without damaging relationships. That, of course, is something we all need to be able to do when we feel 'wronged' in some way. The chapters on discipline, restorative action, and the systems required for building and maintaining an inclusive school community can help relationships between teachers, parents and students.
Chapter one begins by using a baby’s cry as a sign that a problem exists. The conflict is between the baby’s need for food and the mother’s need for sleep. This example is basically no different to that of a worker threatening to go on strike to let the boss know there is a need for a rise in wages. If the mother ignores the baby’s cry, or the boss ignores the cry of the worker, the result will be the same: the noise will get louder. One difference is that the baby can only make a noise but disgruntled workers can cause disruptions that severely damage a business or organisation.
Travelling the Road of Peace and Happiness applies to all of the above and more because it explores fundamentals that we carry with us into every situation. Fundamentals such as:
- What we believe to be our relationship to each other, to the earth and to the cosmos.
- The influence our culture has on the way we relate to each other and how we currently respond to conflict.
- Where we draw strength from to live each day.
- Extending and enhancing our skills and ability to peacefully resolve conflicts.
These four themes are inter-woven and form the fabric of the book. The first theme is the most important because it deals with the foundation of who we are; our identity as a person, including our attitude to other people and to life in general. We are our relationships, and our happiness depends on the quality of those relationships. No matter what we work on in life, we need to get the foundation right, and everything else can then be compared to it for consistency and stability. When something goes wrong, the foundation provides the starting point for finding the cause of the problem and putting it right again. Travelling the Road of Peace and Happiness identifies 'equal but different' as the fundamental requirement for human relationships. Therefore, a move towards equality is the foundation that supports and guides every idea and action described in the entire book.
The people and circumstances may be different in each dispute but the dynamics leading to bad outcomes are the same regardless of whether the conflict is in the home, at work, school, or between organisations or nations. The causes are the same for each setting and so the guidelines for a peaceful solution are the same. Travelling the Road of Peace and Happiness provides a compass to guide us in whatever role we play; to avoid or resolve negative conflict. Regardless of whether we are politicians, parents, teachers, principals, bosses, workers, club members, club executives, and so on, we will have relationship problems with some people at some time.
Working from a foundation of 'equal but different' provides us with a kit of tools and the guidelines to effectively use them in any situation. We can be confident because there is direction, purpose and meaning in what we do. Every discussion we have with other people throughout the day provides an opportunity to use these tools, even when solving minor problems. And the more we practice, the better we become at using them. The outcome may not always be ideal but there is the satisfaction that a genuine attempt was made to improve relationships.