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Carmen Flores
Mrs. Reed
American Literature
8 February 2017
When thinking of conflict the normalized opinion is a negative gut reaction. Conflict in
many minds is synonymous with war, fighting, and turmoil. This however is an unfair
assumption and should be re-thought. A quote from former President Ronald Reagan pertains
perfectly to this topic of conflict, showing how conflict is an unavoidable aspect of American
In 1985, the newly inaugurated president Ronald Reagan used his inaugural address to
address the nation on peace. He said, "Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle
conflict by peaceful means." Ronald Reagan's quote speaks to the fact that peace and conflict are
interconnected. People often insist that peace means conflict is eradicated and solved, but this is
not the truth. As Reagan says, finding peace is in fact being able to find a peaceful way to deal
with conflict and find a solution. I, personally, find this idea very eye opening and interesting.
When thinking of past wars and national conflicts the common theme is not solely conflict of
ideas, but a leap towards violence based on those differences, and a clear lack of communication
to find a common ground. I find this idea of peace and conflict perfectly fitting for the conflicts
in America.
This quote also touches on the fact that conflict is an unavoidable aspect of America. By
insisting that peace is not the absence of conflict is to insist that conflict will never fully
disappear, even in times of peace, and is a fundamental aspect of culture. America is 17.6%
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hispanic, 12.6% african american, and 4.8% asian american (United States Census Bureau).
There are so many different values, opinions, and ideas in America that are at odds with each
other. As someones who is very strong headed on many political and social issues, it is very easy
for me to see views I strongly disagree with, especially in this tumultuous time after the recent
presidential election of Donald Trump. All over the news I see protests and individuals strongly
disagreeing over a variety of issues. After reading President Reagans quote, I can clearly
connect his message and see that having strong different opinions is not a step away from peace
but not communicating these differences in a peaceful and understanding manner is. Conflict is
Instead of thinking as conflict as inherently negative, people should see the positive and
necessary aspects of it. Conflict is just as much a part of peace as it is war and Ronald Reagan
speaks to this. America will always have a variety of different ideas at odds, but what is