Tag: conflict

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Adobe Illustrator Business Cartoons cartoon gag cartoon single panel cartoon webcomic

Hostile Takeover Cartoon

The world of business has some interesting language. One day, I heard about one corporation going after another. This led to an idea for a hostile takeover cartoon.

Hostile takeover cartoon. A mans says to another who is giving him the raspberries, "So does that mean you're beginning the hostile takeover?"

As I am updating this, Elon Musk is in the news because he wants to buy out Twitter. It’s the big business news of early 2022. The term, hostile takeover, had dominated the news for the last couple of weeks. Who knows what news item inspired me in 2010. Was it when Kraft Foods decided to go after Cadbury? Considering how I love chocolate, that could have piqued my interest!

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Bible Psalm

A Future For Peacemakers

Look at those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace. Psalm 37:37

We hear and read news about the threat of wars and verbal barbs about someone who did this and said that. It captures our attention and makes us wonder what the future is. So it is good to remind us there is a future for peacemakers.

Look at those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.

Psalm 37:37 NLT

Sadly, those who work for peace don’t grab the headlines as much as those who embrace conflict. We don’t tend to qualify what a person is saying or doing by whether it is honest or good. We like a good fight and we especially like the person who shares our views to put the other side in their place.

But what if the future belongs to those who promote peace? Indeed, there are only two choices in this world; those who work towards war and those who work towards peace.

We look forward to peace though it is in short supply. Remember a few months ago when we spoke about peace on earth?

Are All Conflicts Necessary?

We have values that we are willing to fight for, and we should. But what about those that don’t really matter? If we paused to think about why we may feel angry and ready to fight, is that skirmish with our neighbor really worth fighting for?

Are there some battles that are only jeopardizing our future? Most of us have memories of being angry at someone, but we can’t remember why. The emotion lasts longer than the actual offense.

If we are honest with others and show good to others, perhaps that will go much further than our animosity towards others. Occasionally, it may even make the news for a good, worthy reason.

Consider if that conflict is necessary today. Pause to consider if we are less angry at that person in front of us and angrier at a similar person that did us wrong years ago. Be honest. Be good and remember there is a future for those who love peace.

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motivation

Conflict Resolution

Conflict Resolution

Some people thrive on conflict while others cower at the thought of it. We all face it one way or another throughout our day. The media and social media thrives on it. It feels like conflict resolution is out of vogue these days.

How do we diffuse conflict? Should we just accept it as a fact of life now? Is it the cost of living in a polarized world? A quote by Wayne Dyer reminds me of our part in conflict resolution.

“Conflict cannot survive without your participation.”

Wayne Dyer via BrainyQuote.com

We don’t have to participate in disagreements if we don’t want to. While it’s true our egos can get the best of us, we have a choice each day whether to participate in all the animosity and consternation. It really is up to us.

The other day, I was working with someone who was in quite a sour mood. When I spoke about an issue, I got a grumpy response. Now, I don’t always rise to the occasion. But in this instance, I resolved not to participate. I kept my voice low and the matter didn’t escalate. The conflict didn’t survive. While it doesn’t make for a great story, it did make for a better day.

Stories thrive on conflict. The hero faces a problem, rises to the occasion, and conquers it. Conflict makes a great movie or a book thrilling. But in our everyday lives, we don’t have to make every situation one filled with conflict. While there are principles that we should protect, not every situation is a conflict we have to conquer.

Therefore, we need to choose our battles. We can consider if the conflict we are facing is worth our participation in or not. Sometimes, conflict resolution is as simple as refusing to participate in it.

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Christmas holiday

A Reality Show Christmas

Cartoon of an elf and Santa Claus. The elf says, "It's another cable TV producer asking if we'd like to be in a reality show."

Do reality shows have anything to do with reality? Do reality shows fit in with Christmas? Would Santa even think about being on a reality show without checking it twice? Because they are mostly naughty, not nice.

Cartoon of an elf and Santa Claus. The elf says, "It's another cable TV producer asking if we'd like to be in a reality show."

Reality shows aren’t much fun unless there is some manufactured conflict. Peace on earth is not a great line for the entertainment industry. Happily ever after is the part of the story no television producer wants to touch. Let’s face it! no reality show would want to visit the North Pole unless there was a chance they could incite an elf riot against their jolly old boss. It reminds me of a December 23, 1981, Bloom County comic strip.

There is plenty of conflict going around without manufacturing new ones. As I begin this week of Christmas, I choose to think of all my blessings in the past year and look ahead to the coming new year and a new decade. May your holiday be less of a reality show and more of a happily ever after.

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motivation

Conflicting Pride

Cartoon of a dad and son. Son has crown on his head.

I had just been laid off. I was seeking advice and some reassurance. So I contacted a local, successful artist to meet with him. 

I have always loved the cartoon style. This successful illustrator came from that background, but his style evolved to a more realistic approach. He gave me advice on observation and how to make my artwork look better. I was shocked and angry. Here I had just come from a great job as a book designer at a succesful company. Didn’t he know I was successful too? (keep in mind the company was struggling enough to lay me off. How successful was that?) My pride got in the way and I wasn’t taking any of this! I thanked him and left. But on the inside, I was fuming!

Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise.

Proverbs 13:10

I missed out on a good opportunity and a potential friendship that day because of my fragile pride. It was rather foolish. I’d like to say pride is never an issue anymore. But no, pride can creep in at any time. We are surrounded by it, and our human nature tends to gravitate towards it.

I resolve to listen more before being ready for an argument. I resolve to seek other opinions that aren’t necessarily like mine. Let’s reach out to others that may have advice that runs counter to our opinions.