Who we are is truly tested and proven when we encounter conflict.

It is intrinsically human to experience conflict; thus, we will all be forced to respond to conflict at
various times and in various forms throughout the course of our lives, and in order to live serenely we
attempt to avoid and resolve conflict. Whilst conflict may merely involve two parties disagreeing over
minor differences of opinion, we have seen throughout history that major conflicts in the form of war
and international political unrest, lead many to experience horrific and life-changing conflicts of a
larger scale. Our challenge is to deal with conflict that might be well beyond the reaches of our
control, and wholly influenced by the actions of others. Noting the diverse contexts of such conflict,
what emerges is the extraordinary way that we can be tested, and how we emerge from such
harrowing circumstances. We begin to question not the battle itself - conflict has occurred and will
occur again - but the human behavior behind the conflict and our responses to such conditions.
Those who experience conflict are truly tested and the core of their characters brought into sharp
focus as they make sense of their experiences and those of the people around them. For the woman
incarcerated at the end of Bruce Berefords Paradise Road it is the conflict of enduring a war and all
that this encompasses, including cultural prejudice and misunderstanding, violence and torture. For
others in our worlds recent history such as Nelson Mandela, it was the conflict of enduring persistent
ignorance, discrimination and injustice. Through the stories of these people we can see that while
conflict can often breed further disagreement and suffering, it may indeed prompt some to act in
extraordinary ways that are bigger and more complex than they might have realized themselves.
They are led to articulate through their responses to conflict, who they truly are.

These are simple women, innocent and nave, trying to exist and care for their families. Some are
fallible- some are nave in trusting the institutions put in place to protect them.
We are like these people: we put faith in our governments, our laws, our religion to guide and protect
us. But stories such as these reveal how such institutions can fail us and even betray us.
the stagnant hope that The boys will come etc
Some may react negatively. The women who perpetuate conflict within the camp.

When looking at both Paradise Road and the example of Nelson Mandela, what is revealed to us is
the importance of inner strength, even when our lives are under threat. When faced with death, or
moral challenges like the women who become the silk brigade and when Cate Blanchetts character
Susan is being tortured, but also when Adrienne is challenged for striking an army officer. Both
Nelson Mandela and several women incarcerated in the Sumatran POW camp reveal a fortitude that
renders them heroic. This is not because they took up arms, and led violent protests and battles, but
because they valued life and their principles. They recognize that as humans we are fallible, but if we
are to remain true to ourselves and our values we must not surrender to the forces that challenge us.
In the face of extremely difficult choices, they revealed themselves to be honourable.
When challenged, these characters not only remain true to their respect for humanity, but indeed they
are moved to surpass their own limitations and GROW as individuals. This is particularly evident in
Nelson Mandela his experience of apartheid, and the injustices he suffered position him as a
powerless individual, and yet, his experience of such injustice prompts him to question the institutions
he lives within, and work to affect change. What is most notable, is his unique reaction that promoted
peace and reconciliation amidst violent upheaval, and after having personally experienced extreme
violence at the hands of his adversaries. He was able to forgive in order to achieve a greater good,
and this experience truly illustrates Mandelas noble character.

Similarly in the women of Paradise Road we see how the power of the individual to transcend
the awfulness of all that surrounds them is magnified by the relationships they form with one
another. Certain women lead by example and work to unify the group. The choir is assembled
despite the odds, and they create a powerful experience when they hear the music they
themselves are creating. Even the Japanese guards are enchanted by this first moment of
peace that exceeds what they might have assumed would be created. Such a moment of peace
becomes an inspiration for survival and we are again presented with the extraordinary capacity
for humans to survive conflict and even create positive experiences in such contexts. Following
such events the women are seen to change have faith in their own abilities, view each other
with kinder eyes. As viewers we question whether such changes would have happened in
peace time. Would these women remain racist/prejudiced/self-centred? Without the leadership
of such morally upright and selfless women, and a situation that forced them to view things in a
new way, would these women have made such changes? Without the optimistic vision of
Margaret who manages to focus on the brilliant sunshine and the shrubs pink-tipped, mauve-
blossomed and even question how sacred is this place would these women have shriveled
up, consumed by all the negative aspects of their quotidian? Through these people we see that
we may indeed dictate our own response to conflict AND this may therefore have a positive or
negative influence on others. In this way we become the writers of our own destiny. They
remind us that from conflict can come happiness. This result underlines, and accentuates the
negative choices of others; we see who they truly are. encountering conflict shows who they
truly are and in contrast are more fully aware of ourselves.