LASER's / Relationships

[John Dicus]

Doc and Larry and everyone...

I almost did not write this for fear of letting this conversation come too
much from my head -- and for fear that I might not understand enough of this
inkling I have.  But I'll throw in something to think about.

I'm writing this not to over-analyze the pattern and structures of OS, but
to surface a language for conversation and to help build an awareness of the
things that are commonly unseen by us and others.

If unconscious and unseen, they could vanish someday because we didn't
realize we'd done them and needed to keep doing them.  Also, if we hope to
help others incorporate OS into their lives/organizations, then this kind of
conversation might be enabling.

My thought is this.  When I described a coherent social state that was
LASER-like, it was one of those mind-boggling flow states where time stands
still and you have internalized everything that happened. Each person
becomes a part of the whole in a way that is beyond words.  Although you
don't experience everything nor seem to have a need to -- you also seem to
"know" in some deep way what happened. It is in everyone's eyes.

The relationship/weaving that you talked about Doc also feels right.  When I
say feels right, I'm not assigning value.  Rather I'm saying I've felt it,
so it sits well with my internal whatever -- I can feel truth fro me in it.

The same goes for the LASER analogy.  I've been in a few mind-blowing flow
states that have been literally life-altering.  One, at least, set me on a
path to understand the underlying pattern and the emergent structure that
manifested and included me in the process.

So here's my own dilemma, of sorts.  It seems like the relationship/weaving
phenomena is present continually, but the highly coherent state (flow?) is
not always.  The flow state implies relationship/weaving, however
relationship/weaving may not imply the flow-state.  In a way it is like tire
balancing on a car -- spin balancing implies bubble(static) balance as well,
but bubble balancing does not guarantee high-speed balance.

What I'm thinking is that the flow state is reached by pushing through a
"chaos-barrier" and breaking out into a new state.  But it is uncommon to us
and draining.  We eventually need to drop out of high-flow and recoup.
Perhaps through constant journeying into the high-flow (high-learning)
zones, we can learn to live there more naturally.

We set the conditions for high-flow to happen, but we don't know necessarily
when and whether they will.  But regardless of whether high-flow happens,
the relationship/weaving is always required for sustained life and change.

I'm starting to ramble, so it must mean it's time to quit pondering.

Oliver Wendell Holmes said something like "I wouldn't give a fig for the
simplicity that lies this side of complexity -- but I would give my life for
the simplicity that lies beyond complexity.

Take care,

John

--

John Dicus  |  Cornerstone Consulting Associates
Teamwork - Systems Thinking - Leadership
Open Space - Action Learning - CourseWare
http://www.ourfuture.com  |  mailto:jdicus at ourfuture.com
800-773-8017 |  330-725-2728 (2729 fax)
2761 Stiegler Road, Valley City, OH 44280