Chapter 10. MEDIATE AND DESIGN SYSTEMS FOR PREVENTION

By the very fact of his being human, man is asked a question by life: how to overcome the split between himself and the world outside of him in order to arrive at the experience of unity and oneness with his fellow man and with nature. Man has to answer this question every minute of his life. Not only—or even primarily—with thoughts and words, but by his mode of being and acting.

——Erich Fromm

Mediation is the unifying element and final recourse for every conflict resolution strategy we have mentioned. If your efforts to solve problems and negotiate solutions have not resulted in resolving your disputes, the next step may be for an unbiased third-party mediator to assist you in communicating your ideas and feelings to each other, discussing the most difficult, sensitive, and emotional issues, and searching for solutions.