By Amber Ford
“…no matter how you get there, or where you end up, human beings have this miraculous gift to make that place home.”
– Creed Bratton, The Office, Season 9, Episode 23
I have been wracking my brain, trying to figure out a new and innovative way to talk about relationships, respect, responsibility, repair, and reintegration – the 5Rs of restorative practice philosophy. These concepts being so key to our mission and vision of transforming conflict, I wanted to make sure that I did justice to them and to their significance in cultivating a mindset that allows us all to truly embody restorative practices in our day-to-day lives.
Then, out of nowhere, I was struck by an idea – stories. We thrive on story in the same way conflict transformation thrives on the 5Rs.
Whether it’s an underdog sport team rising to the top of the league, the back-to-back drama of reality shows, or oral histories of ancestry and mythology, there is no community on Earth devoid of stories. Through stories we teach, through stories we love. In a world where we are constantly glued to a screen, the stories we absorb shape our views of ourselves and of the world. And in any story we hear or see, tell or experience, we can find elements of the 5Rs.
Over the next few weeks, I encourage you to reflect on the 5Rs and how they show up in the stories you consume.
- Which of the 5Rs do you see consistently?
- Which are missing?
- How would the story change if there was more of a focus on those missing elements of the 5Rs?
Amber Ford
Restorative Practices Program Manager
The Conflict Center
