Our
news feeds are full of conflict and anger and it can be difficult to find ways
to work with people with whom we disagree. Clive and his companions at Touch of
Hope have been helping bring together people who were at war in the former
Yugoslavia and he is using the same principles there and in the UK.
In spite of our differences is Clive’s story of how he came to be
a mediator and now helps others do the same. It is also the story of those who
survived hostilities and are learning to live with their former enemies in
Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The book challenges you to put these
ideas into action in your own life, in your local community or further afield.
Clive
says: “I wanted to share the story of how ordinary people are empowered to work
for reconciliation, to work across the boundaries. I shall never forget when I
first went to Osijek and met the people in the Centre for Peace Non-Violence
and Human Rights. They were so committed to working to end the violence and
that made such an impact on me.
“These
people have gone through so much, but are actually talking about living
together ‘in spite of our differences’ and I wanted to tell people about that.
“But
I wanted also to talk about my journey in terms of the difficulties I had with
the church and my own feelings about being involved in the work. But, mainly,
to put on record how people can change and move forward in the direst of
circumstances.”
