By Rick Blangiardi – General Manager, KGMB and KHNL
We all know Hawaii is the “aloha” state. But even in the aloha state, things go wrong.
Conflicts erupt, relationships are damaged and trust is broken. When that happens, we have been conditioned to pick up the phone, call a lawyer and file a lawsuit. This approach is damaging for the parties involved in the dispute and harms the community because it focuses only on who is right and who is wrong, who should win and who should lose.
There is a better way to address disputes. It is mediation. With the assistance of an impartial mediator, mediation helps people keep talking and negotiating creative agreements that can meet all of their needs.
To encourage people in Hawaii to use mediation first before filing a lawsuit, the Mediation Center of the Pacific has created a mediation pledge. The pledge says that I won’t sue before I try mediation. I have signed the pledge and ask that you do the same.
Together, we can keep aloha in the aloha state by choosing mediation first. To show our support and commitment to use mediation, go to HawaiiNewsNow.com or the mediation center’s website at mediatehawaii.org and sign the mediation pledge today.
To watch the editorial on the MCP Mediation Pledge, which Hawaii News Now aired on March 20, 2014, click here
