ADVERTISING ONESELF!!

[Robert.Chaffe at nre.vic.gov.au]

Harrison.  Thanks for your insights.  The age old debate continues - "Is it the
singer or the song?"  You have touched something in me that I feel I need to
share.

I think we need to learn to value both, in particular the ability of the
"singer" to take the a process and breath life into a process.  I feel that we
as a society are beginning to relearn how to value the "spirit" that is within
those who take us to that deeper level of understanding and communication.

The reductionist thinking of the past decades has encouraged to not value but
put a price on things.
What I am finding is that, as people contact their inner being and are freed to
truly listen and truly be present that they say the value is beyond price.

The observation that Open Space and Open Space Technology is a reflection of the
real world.  It does take time and effort to look but like the scientist who
finds that rare seed, we should recognise the effort of the search and reward
that effort but the product of the search is the property of all and therefore
freely available to all. "Give a man a fish and you feed him for one day, teach
him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime - and beyond if he in turn
teaches others".   In life there are good and not so good "fishermen" if we
choose not to be a "fisherman" and use the services of the skilled "fisherman"
we pay for the skills not the act of fishing.

The rewards come from an empowered people and community not from the event.  So
let us pay the price for the skilled facilitator and share our understanding
the process freely so that in the terms of Open Space we do truly create space
for the most amazing and unexpected things to happen.

regards
Robert