A Universe in Conflict: Why We Need Stress

Conflict is a universal constant. In that, I mean the universe is continually in conflict within itself. I will use the example of the human body to illustrate my point. Microscopic invaders relentlessly assail the body. If these harmful bacteria, viruses, and parasites are successful, your body will become ill. The human body represents the body of the universe. What happens in the body is happening throughout our vast universe. For example, humans attack each other verbally and physically. This global epidemic has been going on since our beginning. There are wars, and there is human suffering.

Conflict is an essential element of the human experience. Going back to my example of the body, we see that the white blood cells eat up foreign invaders. In the process, the body forms antibodies to guard against future attacks. What does this mean? Conflict keeps us healthy. It also makes us stronger. People like to avoid stress because it's unpleasant. It's true stress can be unsettling. However, a moderate amount of stress is important to our personal growth. We become better people as a result of our difficulties. Overcoming conflict is a lot like the body having the victory over harmful microbes. We get that winning feeling from knowing we have cleared another hurdle.

While taking on a certain amount of stress is good for us, over-stress is another matter. Over-stress can be detrimental to our health. Over-stress can leave us emotionally, mentally, and physically depleted. It can even lead to death. As I pointed out in my previous example, when the body is unable to contain an infection, it will succumb to disease.

Constructive conflict dynamics is the name given to the maxim "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger." This theory supports the notion that overcoming adversity leads to big dividends. This is especially true in the spiritual sense. Humans arrange tests and challenges before entering this plane. By achieving success in our experiments, we improve on our character. Each challenge we meet perfects our being. Therefore, the constructive conflict dynamics principle lends itself to the meaning of life. It's a simple idea with vast implications.

I like to think that we swim upstream for the challenge rather than going with the flow. This is in line with the struggle of the human spirit. As I said, conflict builds character. This is an often-overlooked aspect of stress. Remember the intensity of stress is equivalent to our response or reaction to the event. It may take a bit of training and education to learn to manage it properly. I recommend searching the internet for resources.