________________
(116) : Nandanavana
The minor level conflicts are minimized through some methods like:
1. Observing vows to control balanced secretions in the body system leading to reduce the excess production of harmful ones and making up the under production of the useful ones.
2. Undertaking meditational practices and postures for about half-an-hour a day leading to the above effects as well as cultivation, and transformation of mental and emotional disturbances. In fact, they reduce the emotional coefficients.
3. Developing the anekāntic attitudes of tolerance, interactions, dialogue, reconciliation, harmony, coexistence and desireless actions etc. For example, counselling services are proving attractive for family conflicts. Many examples can be quoted for the effect of these methods in the transformation of many individuals to better lifestyles.
4. In olden times,4 four to seven methods were employed to resolve the conflicts of any type : (i) Negotiation, (ii) Bribery, (iii) Punishment or war, (iv) Espionage or dissensions, (v) Deceit, (vi) Neglect and (vii) Conjuring. It is clear that the first preference was for non-violent or anekāntic way to try reconciliation involving mutual understanding the view of each other and agreeing to avoid the conflict. The soft and hard violent methods were given the secondary positions. When all the soft options proved void, war or violent method of resolving conflict was applied. These methods are applied even today.
The major conflicts affecting the society, nations and now the globe are of major concern for us today. They can never be eliminated, they may, however, be managed and the crisis avoided. Waldemar Kempfert - the Kalinga prizewinner has stated that during the last 2500 years (in 1945), 902 wars and 1615 internal disturbances have taken place. Moreover, the concept of more effective means of killing should lead to end of wars has been belied." In a more recent data, during 1990-95, 93 wars have taken place in seventy states killing 55 lacs people. Thus, the twentieth century has been called a war century. We find today different kinds of short and long-span major conflicts throughout the world as shown in Table 2, illustrating their diverse fields.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
