It’s the third week in October, and that means one thing: It’s Conflict Resolution Day!

According to Mediate.com, The Association for Conflict Resolution came up with the idea in 2005, and here’s what the day is all about:

• Promote awareness of mediation, arbitration, conciliation and other creative, peaceful means of resolving conflict;
• Promote the use of conflict resolution in schools, families, businesses, communities, governments and the legal system;
• Recognize the significant contributions of (peaceful) conflict resolvers; and
• Obtain national synergy by having celebrations happen across the country and around the world on the same day.

And, it’s timely, too. I’m checking my AP wire as I write this. Let’s see, ISIS attacking Kurds in Turkey. Arrests in St. Louis following weekend protests over the shooting of 18 year-old Michael Brown. Two French girls lured to jihad online.

We’ve come a long way since 2005 (even my son’s preschool teacher is teaching conflict resolution in the classroom), but, clearly we have a long way to go.

Still, we should all be proud of the roles we each play in making peaceful conflict resolution a reality.

So, here’s to Conflict Resolution Day 2014–Cheers!

Britt