“I am not going to transfer the money.” That is what I heard one of the community members telling the other as they came out of a meeting. In the meeting, the librarian of the College had said that he was running short of funds to buy new books and insisted that the different department heads should transfer the money that was collected by the departments as library fees to the account of the library. In the discussion that followed some of the department heads complained that the books that had been bought were of a general nature and were not of much use for their departments. Further, they argued that the departments themselves were running short of money for their various expenses and so were not in a position to pass on any money. It was also insinuated that the librarian was not fully dedicated to his work. After a prolonged discussion during which each one tried to present his position with hardly anyone listening attentively to the other, no solution was reached. And after the meeting one of the heads stated categorically that he would not transfer the money.
Conflicts of different kinds and intensity are part of our everyday life. When they are handled poorly, they rob us of much time and energy, create undue stress, and at times, lead to souring of relationships. If they are managed properly conflicts could be vehicles of growth. Let us try to understand conflicts better and how to handle them in constructive ways.
Jose Kuttianimattathil, sdb
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