Feelings and Thoughts on OSonOS Berlin

[Artur F. Silva]

Dear OS practitioners and learners:

I have hesitated to comment this message.

First because I think that I am using too much "air time" in these days.
Second, because I am still puzzled with some of my feelings and
thoughts. But mainly because we have a recent "politically correct"
in OD - the Dialogue. I also think that Dialogue is great; but why
shan't we advocate when the heart asks us to advocate? And "too
much dialogue" is still dialogue or a cynicism way to manipulate the
group with covert procedures? I have doubts about these
issues. So, my reflections will not be politically correct. I apologise
E for that


At 12:08 31-10-2000 +0100, Francis Gastmans wrote:

[ 1.
First I was supprised by and could enjoy the things I experienced as
luxury: the constant fresh drank and excellent food, the clean environment,
my room. But the second day already I experienced the dark side of it.
Luxury makes the spirit lazy. In all cultures all  over the world people
who want to meet the Spirit in themselves and in the others tend to make
their environment sober, they live sober, simple.
My lessons:
A. Keep it all sober, maybe even very sober.
B. Give also food for the Spirit, for example: some spirit-thoughts on the
wall, or real art, or poetry, or tables with a landscape made of flowers
and leaves, or a silence-room for meditation (as counterpart of a
video-room), ...]

I have been for 30 years in many Conferences and meetings almost
anywhere in the world. And apart from meetings with communities
that were really poor, I think this was the meeting/Conference were
I felt the environment and facilities  completely adequate to purpose.
I never felt that the environment or food was luxury. In other (corporate
driven) events, some times I felt bad because it was too luxurious.
I felt nothing of the same at this event.

So I want to compliment Michael and all the organisers for the superb
facility they discovered that was a correct mid term between "no conditions"
and "luxury". But also for the gardens, the room facilities (small but
confortable)
and the spaces.

I couldn't see any desks displaced somewhere to allow for open space.
And a (different) open space was in the main room for the next session.
Do they have all their room sessions without desks? That would be great,
specially  coming from a Union.


[2.
I had the feeling of an well-organised event. No it was more, I had the
feeling of an over-organised event. For me there was too much control.
There was also too much "talking" and much too less "asking" from the part
of the organisers. It all made it not enough open for me.
My lessons:
A. "Keep it simple!", "Less is more"
B. Do not organise what need not to be. Dare to let things be unorganised.
C. Don't try to be perfect, don't try to organise the one and only good
Open Space, don't try to organise the Open Space other Open Spacers talk
about. ]

I never felt any "over-organisation".  I think that due the presence of many
newcomers, the convergence were organised more for didactic questions.
I was feeling stressed with all the session. But then Katerin spoke out,
and I have admired her courage, but also the graceful reaction of Felicia
and Michael. For me the all events proved that "Open Space works".

[3.
What I saw the second day was an illustration of what is written in the
books of Harrison Owen: the Tibethan bells, the way of walking around like
a priest, the words on the walls. It all gave me the impression of "his
masters voice".
I had the feeling of being in a circle of "the faitfull ones", followers of
a Master. For me Harrison Owen is not a Master but a servant of the Spirit,
like I am. I have to be my own master and at the same time a servant for
others.
Do not do what others do, do what your spirit tells you to do, ... even if
this is just the same as others do.
This reminds me of the words: "Do to others what you want that they do to
you". For me this is a wrong sentence, it rather should be "Do to others
what they want you to do. Do to others what the others want for themselves,
even if it's something you should not want that they do to you. Do to
others what's theirs, not yours."]

Contrarely to Francis, I have leaned from Argyris, never to make judgements
about
the actions of other. So I can't say if was a copy of what others do, or if
it was
what spirit told the facilitators to do - as it seemed to me. To formulate an
explanation, not test it, and behave as if it was true is one of Model 1
behaviours, Argyris sustains that creates leaning disabilities.


[4.
I experienced little Open Space in the small groups. At home and at school
we didn't learn to listen carefully, we learned to debate, to discuss, to
fight for our opinion. We are not grown up with an open mind and an open
heart, as adults we still have to learn it. Open Space gives us the
opportunity to leave old habits and to open ourselves for the others. But
it is difficult.  When we meet eachother our old habits tend to come in the
meeting.
Another observation: people talked and talked, just a few persons asked,
gave me an inspiring question. I somethimes had the feeling that some of
the participants liked to hear themselves talking. For me this attidude
closes the mind, closes the circle. A good question opens the mind.]

Again, in all the small groups I have participated, everything when fine.
Except in one, where the convenor told the group the type of things that
are written above, and IMPOSED to the group a more "dialogic" procedure.
 From then, the meeting was a mess: people that had things to say
refrain themselves, people that didn't want to speak have been obliged to,
time went out and no summaries were made, etc

The OS community is formed from people coming from other
practices (from "transactional analysis" to "solving conflicts", to name only
too) that doesn't have quite assimilated de self-organising principles of OS.
Then, they try to impose (directly or in a covert form) DIFFERENT principles.
I don't think we shall go in that direction.

Regards to ALL of you

Artur

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