Conflicts? No, that really shouldn't be necessary. Just stay away from me with that! You can't be serious about wanting to burden me with this topic right now, can you?

Do you know that feeling? Do you feel recognized or even caught? Are you also a conflict avoider? Then at least quantitatively, you are in good company. Not even FC Bayern Munich has as many fans as there are self-proclaimed conflict refugees in Germany.

This is all the more strange since it becomes clear to us upon even a brief reflection that our entire lives are a constant rollercoaster of conflicts. When we are born, we cry. We don't exactly know why. The attending doctors, midwives, and even our mother: they are all initially happy about it. Only we are not. Do we not want to enter this unknown life? Is it too cold or too bright? Too loud? We don't know (anymore). But clearly, we resist everything that doesn't suit us: hunger, cold, stomach pain, or neglect. We have no qualms about informing our surroundings of our unwillingness. We gradually lose this habit. It is probably called growing up.

The rest of life then almost always unfolds as a struggle for scarce resources. First for milk and warmth, then for affection, building blocks, crayons, cookies, and ice cream. And yet, in hindsight, most people call it 'a happy childhood.' Perhaps they do this just to avoid a conflict in conversation that would arise if their retrospective view led to a negative conclusion?

Then come the years in kindergarten and school. Conflicts arise, among other things, over questions of who gets to sit next to the beloved caregiver and who should recite the Christmas poem first.