The philosophy of the Cranbrook Peace Foundation is rooted in the concept that conflict is natural. Conflict can prove an important opportunity for change. A violent response is neither inevitable nor necessarily productive. What sets the Cranbrook Peace Foundation apart from other peace and justice organizations is its focus. Typically peace organizations react to conflict as it occurs and often attention is directed toward the confrontation rather than to the root causes of such conflict. Local peace organizations which rise in response to a specific problem have a limited life-span