Circles and Tables

[ralphsc]

Dear Friends,

I wonder how we are measuring the success of our open space gatherings.
What or who is "violated" by the use of a table in the center during the
opening?  How dow we even get to apply a word like "violated" to what
we're doing when decide to use a table or not?

Are we perhaps thinking that there is some pure form of OS from which
deviations must not occur?

I use a table because I know some people prefer it.  And no participant
has ever complained to me about the presence of the table.  In fact,
people who have been in previous OS events with me and/or others when
there was no table have thanked me for using one.  Does that I did it
"right"? Does one measure success on the basis of complaints or
no-complaints about such a thing?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  What do you think?

If open space is going to survive as a useful method, we have to be
tolerant of experimentation and multiple approaches.

Ralph