“Peace is not the absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.”  – Ronald Reagan

Our community is becoming increasingly diverse.  With our social, economic, and cultural diversity, we also have a great diversity of ideas and opinions.  We are divided in our political views, our parenting styles, and our development planning.  All one needs to do is look on social media, or flip from Fox News, to CNN, to MSNBC . . . there is no shortage of conflict, name-calling, or just angry people.

For us to be successful, for our community to create a kinder, more productive culture, we must take a page from Ronald Reagan’s playbook.  Peace isn’t the absence of conflict or abdication of personal ideals.  Peace is the ability to handle conflict with kindness, grace, and skill.  Working through conflict doesn’t come easy . . . it requires us to simply do the work.  Achieving peace and appreciating our diversity demands that we build the necessary skills to listen, understand, and compromise.

Let’s embrace the challenges we face, build the requisite skills to handle conflict through peaceful means, and commit to kindness as we create the culture we desire.