Book Recommendation: The Anatomy of Peace
My latest read is The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict by The Arbinger Institute. The book, first published in 2006, uses a powerful narrative that provides you with the tools to combat conflicts at work, school, and in the home. Set at a teen rehabilitation center in Arizona, a group of parents dropping their children off engage in a moving discussion with the center’s counselors. Through this discussion, the parents are challenged to re-evaluate their interactions with others, and to begin living in a way that promotes peace. One central idea in this book is transitioning from a heart at war to a heart at peace. It teaches how we often betray our human sense of compassion by treating others as objects instead of people. Further, it discusses how we seek to justify our self-betrayal by constructing boxes of better-than, need-to-be-seen as, and I-deserve complexes. The book uses several real-world examples to illustrate how both sides of a conflict can play a role in maintaining tension. A major lesson I learned from The Anatomy of Peace, is that we must evaluate areas where we need to improve before we can expect a change in others. By using a story, the concepts in this book are both relatable and easy to digest. By adopting the concepts in this book, I sincerely believe that we could begin to work through the many conflicts that exist in today’s world. In general, we don’t often consider how the opposing party of a conflict is affected by our actions. We tend to get so caught up in winning the conflict that we disregard the humanity of the other party. This book will help you take on a new perspective that both encourages you to consider the humanity in all people and to interact in a way that works in the best interest of all. I strongly recommend checking out The Anatomy of Peace. Feel free to order using the link below. Thanks for reading!
Originally published at lamonmoore.blogspot.com on October 7, 2018.
