The Magic of Conflict: Turning a Life of Work into a Work of Art [Paperback]

Thomas Crum (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0684854481 | ISBN-13: 978-0684854489 | Publication Date: February 1, 1998 | Edition: 2nd

This set of simple techniques, including meditation, breathing exercises, openness, and play--Aiki--leads gently to a reordered state of mind. From overcoming apathy to understanding how conflict doesn't have to mean contest, Aiki turns mind-body integration principles into powerful tools.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Crum's optimistic how-to stresses that conflicts are not games, which have winning or losing as their outcome; a conflict is a dance of energy, and if you embrace it in order to work through it, learning and growth occur naturally. Cofounder of the Windstar Foundation with singer John Denver (who wrote the book's foreword and supplied its photographs), Crum has adapted the Japanese martial art of aikido to what he calls the Aiki Approach to conflict resolution. Mental exercises for centering, photos of aikido postures and graphs of mindsets accompany this self-help manual. Examples of conflict-solving by business people, artists, politicians and others illustrate key points. Crum's New Age jargon is annoying ("Accept your correctedness"; "choose to cocreate"). His method seems to consist of equal parts positive thinking and Oriental wisdom, with aikido as the guiding metaphor. Prentice Hall Book Club alternate.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Thomas Crum is co founder and former executive director of The Aspen Academy of Martial Arts and Healing and The Windstar Foundation, an international education and research centre. He is founder and president of Aiki Works, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; 2nd edition (February 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684854481
• ISBN-13: 978-0684854489
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #239,151 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not "fight or flight" but FLOW!, June 4, 2002

By 

Bob Syslo-Seel (Renton, WA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Magic of Conflict: Turning a Life of Work into a Work of Art (Paperback)

Thomas Crum uses his martial arts expertise to offer helpful insights about those situations in which you find yourself in conflict with another person and feel like fighting or running away. He says: "Flow!" In other words remain centered, redirect their energy: deflect, step aside, don't respond in kind, don't try to block. This is a basic concept of Aikido and the "Aiki Way" which he has derived from it. You don't have to be a martial artist to gain from this book. By acknowledging the visceral connection we associate with conflict he gets you much further than many books based strictly on communication theory.

36 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to turn the crisis of conflict to an opportunity., January 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Magic of Conflict: Turning a Life of Work into a Work of Art (Paperback)

"Connectedness is reality. Separation is an illusion. ... True strength is flowing energy and a willingness to blend energies. Unlimited strength and power are available to the extent that we let go of tension, fear, and boundaries."

Conflicts can be disastrous or miraculous says Thomas Crum in the Magic Conflict, depending on how you react to them. If you feel threatened and try to defend yourself, you will lose even if you win. If you know you will lose, you probably will. If you hope to win and work hard at winning, you MAY just wear yourself out and fall into bitterness and decay. OR you MAY take a leap from the you OR me attitude to the you AND me attitude, says Crum. This is the magic of conflict. That we both care so much that we are willing to talk until we learn from each other. Understanding each other's concerns, we can see other possibilities, win-win solutions. Through the alchemy of conflict, we can turn the base metal of discouragement and divisiveness into the gold of understanding a new paradigm.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An insightful, interesting and useful book!, June 21, 2008

By 

C. Clayton "Author of The Re-Discovery of Com... (Tucson AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Magic of Conflict: Turning a Life of Work into a Work of Art (Paperback)

The Magic of Conflict does an excellent job of reframing conflict in way that makes a lot of sense. For example, when discussing the nature of conflict Thomas Crum states:

"It's not whether you have conflict in your life. It's what you do with that conflict that makes a difference."

There are many other useful concepts in the book. For example, Crum recommends focusing on finding your "Center" and using it to handle situations in life. Crum's definition of "Center" is authenticity. In other words, when we come from our center we are in touch with who we really are.

Crum also talks about fear and how to deal with it. He points out that fear is becoming stuck in time and worrying about a possible future occurrence, which may be based on a (real or imagined) past experience. He suggests handling fear by stepping out of the remembrances of the past and return to the present moment.

Well thought out and written, this is an insightful, interesting and useful book. The methods this book discusses are easy to understand. They take some time to apply, but are well worth the effort. Overall, a great read!

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