The task of the mediator is to help the parties to open difficult

Hear, O children of strife and reconciliation, the words of Martti Ahtisaari, peacemaker and servant of humanity: “The task of the mediator is to help the parties to open difficult issues and nudge them forward in the peace process. The mediator’s role combines those of a ship’s pilot, consulting medical doctor, midwife, and teacher.” These words shine with the wisdom of one who spent his life guiding nations from the brink of despair to the promise of new beginnings. They reveal that peacemaking is not one task, but many—requiring the skill of the navigator, the healing hand of the physician, the patience of the midwife, and the wisdom of the teacher.

The origin of this saying lies in Ahtisaari’s lifelong labor as an international mediator, from Namibia’s independence to peace talks in the Balkans and beyond. He witnessed firsthand the fragility of peace, how distrust, wounds, and pride could prevent enemies from seeing the possibility of reconciliation. He understood that the mediator is not a warrior, nor a ruler, but a guide who helps others confront the shadows they dare not face. His metaphor speaks of humility: a mediator does not impose peace but nudges it into being, shaping the process with patience and wisdom.

To be a ship’s pilot is to guide a vessel through narrow and treacherous waters. The captain may command the ship, but the pilot knows the hidden currents, the reefs, and the rocks that lie beneath the surface. So it is with the mediator, who guides nations and leaders through the unseen dangers of negotiations, ensuring they do not founder upon the rocks of pride or vengeance.

To be a consulting doctor is to diagnose wounds not of the body, but of the spirit. The mediator listens to the pain of nations, identifies the disease of mistrust, and prescribes remedies of dialogue and compromise. Like a physician, he must be both compassionate and firm, recognizing that healing requires not only comfort, but sometimes bitter medicine. Peace is not always soothing; it is often the painful process of cutting away infection so that true recovery may begin.

To be a midwife is to help bring forth new life. The mediator cannot create peace by himself, just as a midwife cannot create the child. But with steady hands and patient guidance, he helps deliver what has been carried within the people all along—the yearning for safety, justice, and future. The labor of peace is long and often filled with cries of pain, but with the mediator’s aid, the new birth of reconciliation can come forth.

To be a teacher is to instill wisdom where ignorance and suspicion have ruled. A mediator must remind the parties of the lessons of history, the consequences of hatred, and the possibilities of cooperation. He must expand the vision of leaders and peoples alike, teaching them to see not only their grievances, but also their shared humanity. For peace without understanding is fragile, but peace founded upon new learning endures.

History offers us examples. At Camp David in 1978, President Jimmy Carter acted much as Ahtisaari describes—part navigator, part healer, part midwife, part teacher—guiding Egypt and Israel to a fragile but historic peace. Without such mediation, the ancient cycle of war may have continued unchecked. This is the sacred task of those who step between enemies: not to claim glory, but to bring forth life where there was death, dialogue where there was silence, and hope where there was despair.

Therefore, O listeners, let your practice be this: when conflict arises in your own life, whether in family, community, or nation, remember the many roles of the mediator. Be a pilot, steering with wisdom; be a doctor, healing with compassion; be a midwife, helping new beginnings emerge; and be a teacher, expanding minds toward understanding. For peace is not born in treaties alone, but in the hearts of those willing to be guided.

Thus let Ahtisaari’s words endure as a torch for generations: the mediator’s task is sacred, for he is the unseen hand that turns the tide of history. And blessed are those who learn to guide, to heal, to birth, and to teach, for they shall be called builders of peace.