Conflict Can Bring the Best or Worst in People.

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Conflict can bring about the best and worst in people Conflict is a concept that prevades every aspect of our lives; it is inevitable and unpreventable. It has the capability to cause detrimental destruction and grief and can also result in a positive. It is how we choose to conduct ourselves in these times of conflict that define who we are and how we are viewed in society. Conflict at times can bring about the best in some individuals enabling them to display astonishing qualities and can also bring about the poorest of qualities in others. Some individuals may show no reaction towards conflict and be absolutely unmoved by it. This is evident in history and is much explored in literature and written accounts. During times of war and suffering, some ordinary individuals are able to find strength in themselves to accomplish astonishing achievements and overcome this conflict. They go out of the ordinary and beyond their capabilities to become an inspiration and a model of “strength and resilience” for others. An example of an ordinary person who performs extraordinary deeds is the character of Zaher in the novel “A Man in Our House” (Arabic Novel). He is an ordinary man who hides and shelters an escapee (Ibrahim) from the police during the English colonisation of Egypt in his own house after proof of his innocence. In the beginning, Zaher is described as a “quiet, uninvolved man” who is oblivious to the political situation of his country. However, after meeting Ibrahim and listening to his story, Zaher makes the choice to accommodate and protect him, putting his own life as well as that of his family at stake. Conflict has a similar effect on the character of Thomas Fowler in “The Quiet American” in that it brings about the best in him. Fowler is a very jaded, cynical and practical man who insists on being neutral and not taking any stances in the war in
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