By Ava Kesler
This title really bugs me. I don't know about you, but the memories, or should I say scars, that personally come up for me at the word conflict aren't exactly equal to "good things."
But it's kinda the point to make an intriguing title, so here we are. What I really meant, is that conflict can lead to good things. Keep reading to see how.
I get it. Sometimes, life sucks. It can feel like you're strapped to a railroad intersection and trains are coming at you from all directions.
Pretty creative comparison, right? I got that simile out of a movie.
Which reminds me, what makes a movie so interesting?
Sure, it's the characters, the setting, the plot, but what exactly about that is so fascinating? You might say being sucked into a new world with relatable characters, but might I add it's not just the character's appearances that are relatable, in fact, it's often the opposite. Our minds will tend to deviate from the given image of a character to relate it to ourselves. It's the character's personality and strength that resonate with us.
So when you're watching a movie, you're brought into this world through the character development, which is only possible through change through dealing with conflict.
Therefore, even if you didn't know the most basic principle to making a story is having conflict, now you see from this logical explanation that even your favorite heroes and inspiration deal with and involve conflict, and this is what actually allows for it to be so inspirational and close to your heart.
Now the question is, if we relate to characters so much for their strength and resilience, why don't we also apply this to our own ability to grow as people? Why don't we take what these characters teach us, and actually use it?
We don't have to limit ourselves to a sense of relatability to just the problems that the characters face. We can actually dive deeper into what characteristics give the character the ability to deal with this conflict for a (hopefully) satisfying resolution. As a result, we can actually apply what we take from this and learn to deal with a whole variety of conflicts that life throws at us.
One thing to remember, however, is that although our favorite heroes overcome their challenges, they don't do so without difficulty. There is often a good chunk of the story where they are in some kind of terrible mental state and everything seems hopeless.
It is ok to struggle. Not everything will be clear all the time.
But it is each character's way of getting out of this hopelessness that we need to learn from.
It is how they find the power and energy in themselves to make difficult decisions, to deal with other people, to conquer hurdles and setbacks. It is the fact that they can rise from the bad days, and push through to reach their goals.
It won't be easy, but you know it never is easy for the characters either.
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