Module 3 Assignment 4 "Part A Conflict"

The interview with Marshall Rosenburg was fascinating. Essentially I would describe this technique of nonviolent communication as naked communication. Stripping away layers of judgment, and justification of judgment that have enabled the categorization of people into ‘good and bad’ and have driven human conflict. Communication without these layers is a naked form of communication contingent upon vocalizing basic human needs as well as an empathy level to address and hear those needs being vocalized. This way of communicating is at the core of not just issues related to sustainability but all human and international conflicts. What gets in the way of everyone’s basic needs is a barrier on the individual level this barrier is ingrained in our thinking that there is always an enemy out there. Whether the enemy is a differing political party or religion, or terrorists and terrorism, there is always the potential and necessity for separation and categorization. Marshall states that behind the separation is a state where needs are not being met. The unmet needs have spiraled into the categorization and then further spiraled into the justification of thinking that ‘they’ are wrong ‘we’ are right. Once communication is stripped down to the bare need conflict is eliminated. A large conflict relating to sustainability is how do we get government to recognize and radically act to address the urgency of an ailing planet. What we need to understand is that government in the industrialized world is run like a business it is contingent upon profit. In the interview with Carolyn Baker she describes our predicament as an industrialized civilization in demise. That every institution we have come to accept and rely upon to create our functional role in society is changing, is crumbling, is collapsing. What this means is that there is a shift taking place. The giant needs of capitalism that propagate our planet’s destruction are in danger, are dying. The conflict between those who see the needs of sustainability and a government unwilling to act quickly and powerfully enough mean that the needs of this capitalistic giant are still being justified. As a society we are still out there over consuming fossil fuels, over consuming everything and justifying the needs of a failing system. Unfortunately those communities that live sustainably are the exception and not the norm. Even in this class everything sounds so wonderful about living in sustainable communities but the actuality is that we read about truly sustainable living, we take baby steps in the direction of sustainable living, but our needs are still being met by a crumbling consumer based society. What has to happen is a clear communication as suggested by Marshell Rosenburg a communication that not only can identify our need to live sustainably but to display this change in needs by opting for things that only support a sustainable effort and not giving a voice to the needs that give life to a system in demise. The question is not whether or not government will listen and take action on our needs of sustainable living, rather, it is when will we vocalize the need clear enough to force government to listen. When will we truly take it upon ourselves to stop feeding the giant and start being able to sustainably feed ourselves.