The Conflict Resolution Toolbox, 2nd Edition

FOREWORD

Several years ago, my life-partner, Susan, and I decided to take a hiking vacation in France. We planned to walk a portion of the Sentier de Grande Randonnée (GR), a network of paths that served during the Middle Ages as pilgrimage routes between towns and cities in northern Europe and famous religious shrines in southern France and Spain. Although we were not going on a religious pilgrimage per se, we did want to spend some good time together, enjoy the charming French countryside, be in touch with nature, and savor a bit of tranquility (which we do not always find in our work as mediators). We also wanted to experience village hospitality, good French meals, and avoid problems and sore feet resulting from potential backtracking due to losing our way. We knew from past hikes on the GRs in unknown territory that this was all too easy to do. So, in preparation for our vacation, we acquired a number of maps—road and trail maps, topographical maps, maps of towns and villages, and those that showed especially noteworthy scenery or places to stay. Although it sounds like we are map fanatics, this is really not the case. We merely wanted to use them as tools to gain a good general understanding of the lay of the land, and then plan an exciting route along often poorly marked footpaths and across fields and streams to quaint villages with good restaurants and open inns (the latter of which we discovered were sometimes few and far between). Once we had planned our general ...