James R. Murphy is a teacher from LaGuardia, New York. Murphy considers mathematics to be the most powerful, abstract, and malleable language available to humanity. To introduce his students who don't "like" math to abstract and systematic thinking, he placed a thread between their hands and taught them how to make shapes with it. "How to Spell Conflict" traces a thread that has been running through our fingers for centuries. This thread has evolved from the tangible shapes our hands made in childhood to the more elusive computational algorithms that occupy our fingers today as they constantly interact with digital devices. By tracing this thread through its various twists and turns, the study evokes a discussion of the meaning of collective agency, aiming to rethink current models of perception, education, and power.