There Are Three Sides To Every Problem

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There Are Three Sides to Every Problem William Ury, an anthropologist who specializes in conflict negotiation, explains in his speech “Getting From No to Yes” the idea of “the third side” which is “us.” The third side is a relatively neutral and impartial negotiator, particularly in the case of intractable problems such as the situation in the Middle East. Ury expects his audience to be at least familiar with the issues; however, because his talk is at TED, he is probably directing his argument to an elite audience who might have some level of impact on the issue. Ury begins with a story about a father dividing up his camels for his three sons to inherit, and because they do not divide into whole numbers, a conflict arises. A wise old woman, by taking the “third side,” offers her camel in order to resolve the problem, namely the “18th camel.” In the end, it did not really cost her anything because she got her camel back as the brothers figured out the problem. Accordingly, Ury explains that the 18th camel is a metaphor for the third side, which has become his life’s passion. His point is that, unlike what conventional media would like for us to believe, there is a third side to every problem. We are well aware of the two sides in conflict, so we don’t really acknowledge this third option, which may point to a constructive development or even a resolution. Moreover, the third side offers a perspective or “balcony” view of the issues at stake. In the case of the conflict in the Middle East, our involvement begins because of our common religious origins as descendants of Abraham (namely the Christians, Muslims, and Jews) who stood for unity and hospitality as well as the symbolic third side. However, the exigency of the issue is terrorism, and that the third side can be an antidote to this particular problem. The Abrahamic Path is a method that

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