Conflict as Catalyst: To be a Lamp, Lifeboat, or Ladder

Reflecting on the notion of conflict as catalyst, we are invited to consider the follow-on question: catalyst for what? Presumably, we want to explore conflict as a catalyst for action, positive change, progress and advancement. But conflict can also catalyze inaction with fear-based paralysis, withdrawal, and silence, resulting in complacency as complicity in perpetuation of the conflict itself. Why might conflict catalyze inaction, and how do we steer conflict as a catalyst for action?Many default to inaction in order to cope with the barrage of alarming and alarmist news that surrounds, if not saturates, us with the current conflicts embroiling our world today. We are overwhelmed and overloaded from seemingly intractable international wars, the outbreak of political violence and social unrest, and the scourge of hate crimes, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. All of this is compounded by the existential threats of global climate crises, erosion of civil society and democratic institutional systems, and the exponential rise of AI and other revolutionary technologies, ushering in unknown consequences. Our critical challenge is to override and disarm the profound risk of conflict as a catalyst for inaction.Leonardo seeks to offset this risk by approaching conflict as a catalyst for creative collaboration, innovation, and action. To guide creative action catalyzed by conflict, we can turn to the wisdom of Rumi, the thirteenth-century Sufi mystic and Persian poet, who teaches us to “be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder.” This directive offers a framing for how Leonardo embraces conflict to catalyze action.Serving as a lamp, Leonardo showcases novel ideas and interdisciplinary scholarship to illuminate and inspire through the pages of this journal and the practices of our creative community. We call on insights from across the Leosphere as beacons shining light on new ways to navigate our world and understand our place in the universe.As a lifeboat, Leonardo/ISAST serves as a vessel of safe passage, a lifeline, and a sanctuary where interdisciplinary outcasts and creative misfits find community in our network and collaboration with each other. We support our collaborative community through the Leonardo LASER talk series, core partnerships, institutional memberships, and opportunities for fellowship, residency, and exhibition.As a ladder, we serve to uplift those at risk and elevate those whose voices have been marginalized. Our ladder has taken the form of Leonardo’s CripTech Incubator, Graduate Research Abstracts, Creative Impact Labs, experimental publishing platforms, and emerging work with indigenous technology.With no shortage of conflicts around us, Leonardo rededicates its efforts to catalyze positive action, serving as a lamp, a lifeboat, a ladder. In so doing, we honor the power of interdisciplinary creatives who resist inaction with courageous vision and audacious hope.