In bomb shelters, refugee camps, or earthquake emergency housing, strangers are thrown together. Add pre-existing ethnic or sectarian hatred—Rwandan Hutus and Tutsis, Bosnian Serbs and Bosniaks, Israeli settlers and Palestinians—and the shelter becomes a powder keg.
Humanitarian workers report that in such settings, hate is temporarily suppressed by survival instinct, but emerges explosively the moment safety is restored. layarxxipwsharingthesameroomwiththehate
Ironically, the most functional roommates in hostile situations are those who explicitly acknowledge the hatred. Sit down (or pass notes) to agree on: In bomb shelters, refugee camps, or earthquake emergency
This is not reconciliation. It is a ceasefire. This is not reconciliation
Write down every vicious, violent, vengeful thought. Do not censor. Then hide or destroy the pages. Venting externally prevents internal combustion. Studies show that expressive writing reduces the physiological arousal caused by chronic hatred.