Ursula Taylor, founder of Conflict Reimagined, has the pleasure of being interviewed by Authority Magazine on Medium. The interview focused on the vital topic of "Putting the 'United' Back into the United States." In this insightful feature, Ursula shares perspectives from Conflict Reimagined on the five things we all need to do to foster greater unity and understanding in our communities and across the nation.

“Ego Specialness” is the idea that we derive merit, worth, honor or respect from our contradistinction to other individuals or groups. Hierarchy, rank, and exclusive status persist because of an egoistic need to stand separate from others. It is a striving to lift ourselves. But it is not born from self-love.
Percentile rankings, gated communities, exclusive associations, airline status, VIP entrances, red carpets, designer labels, beauty pageants and more are constructed from the idea that fulfillment can be contrived from specialness. The perception that specialness yields happiness, wealth or worth is baked into our education systems and permeates industries from healthcare to wellness, finance and more. It is the backbone of marketing and advertising strategy. It is the premise of the American dream.

I previously described a neighborhood pickleball controversy here as a low-stakes example for understanding the energy of conflict and pathways for resolution. Parents and pickleball players are engaged in an “us versus them” dynamic around park space. But the conflict is not about pickleball, because conflict never derives from external facts, arguments or people. Rather, conflict ensues from the emotional energy of fear, scarcity, lack, greed, shame, insecurity, pride or similar dense, contracted emotional energy held by humans.

We cannot solve a dispute by disputing.

I spent eighteen years building a practice as a civil litigator. I graduated from law school cum laude, made partner, developed niche expertise, attracted clients and earned national recognition. And then last year I stepped away from the career and identity that I had held so dear. The traditional practice of dispute resolution is built on a faulty foundation.

The Barbie movie cleverly packages heavy topics like patriarchy and gender equality as easy nostalgia and entertainment. It’s like a dose of the amoxicillin antibiotic when it comes in the pink bubble-gum suspension: you don’t appreciate that it’s killing pathogens because it’s yummy. But what you get from the movie depends on how deep you are willing to go. The movie is an invitation to consider and question how we unwittingly facilitate a world driven by fear and insecurity, and what this means for our relationships and ourselves.

Spinnaker sailing is a beautiful sight. The spinnaker is the billowing, graceful sail at the very front of the boat. It provides a parachute lift when sailing downwind.

This article explores how the methodology for achieving peace is not rooted in political strategies or power dynamics, but rather in the energy that we hold as individuals, combined with the courage we possess to transmute it. Humans are the receptacles and tools for amplifying and spreading either peace or conflict, much like a contagious virus.