Was driving around looking for plastiscene the afternoon after Christmas. Had the radio on, something i rarely do. BFM was playing an episode from TEDTalks. It featured William Ury, not somebody i'm familiar with, but since the radio was on, i listened anyway.

What happened over the next 18 minutes was a wonderful narration on conflict resolution. Jaded by politics and governmental processes of this country, here was a breath of fresh air. And i don't mean the Abrahamic stuff. There's something about radio which leaves you to fill in the physical details of a person. Ury, i would find out later at home, looks more New Age than i expected, but his message is bedrock.

It revolves around The Third Side. Not the Third Force, which is an overused and misunderstood phrase much like the tiresome 1Malaysia (and why give it cred by banning it?).

The Third Side is a perspective; it's a role.

i had arrived at my destination but i remained in the car and listened. And wondered aloud how so many of us here ought to be listening to this.

Which is why this is up here. In some small ways, if the idea catches a dozen more eyeballs, that's a dozen more fellow journeymen.

But enough said. Here's Ury's message courtesy of TEDTalks.

Have a Happy New Year.

Straits Mongrel

PS. And thanks BFM; it's stuff like this which make you different.