Congruity (initiating thread: Part Three OST...)

[uwe.weissflog]

Dear Arthur et al,
I like to comment of your most recent note regarding congruity (congruence) of
what we say and what we do in Open Space and the applicability of this basic
truth to all transfomations, be it individual or group. Before I do so just a
short intro of myself.

My name is Uwe Weissflog and I had the great furtune to work with and learn
from all kinds of people on both sides of the Atlantic over the past 30 years.
My wife and I just recently returned back to Germany from a seven year life/work
experience in the Midwest, our third and probably last long term exposure to the
US.

In the past three decades I have gradualy developed a passion for the paradox of
being one (an individual) and many (being in community with others). I've been
lucky to meet many people from very diverse walks of life who have been
struggling with the same paradox. I think it is natural that one stumbles into
OS and other large scale group activities when pondering this question. This is
at least for me the way I came across Harrison and many other wonderful people.

This exposure brought me to the place on my journey where I currently am: Three
month I left the corporate world after 30 years and started, together with some
friends in the US a business we call "Pathway Guidance". We help people in
organisations to develop what we call "Spirited Agility", a way of being in the
(business) world that balances the needs of people with the needs of a succesful
organisation. Which brings me back to the Arthur's comments on congruity...

I deeply believe what a member of an OS training in Chicago three years ago
spontaneously said: "Oh, now I see - this is all a dance...!". If we look to
Maturana, Wheatley, Bloch, Bohm, Krishnamurti, Senge and all the others who have
deeply pondered the question of self and community, it might all come to
an insight which I found beautifully expressed in the Tao (Mitchell's
translation):

"Therefor the Master
acts without doing anything
and teaches without saying anthing.
Things arise and she lets them come;
things disappear and she lets them go.
She has but doesn't possess,
acts but doesn't expect.
When her work is done, she forgets it.
That is why it lasts forever."

So, for me it boils down to: Can we overcome our ego, because that is what
eventually OS asks us to do. Why do I say this? I think OS is a deeply
democratic process that builds on a way of being in the world that overcomes the
separation caused by our egos. The moment we use the language of OS we
inherently adhere to this premise. Every participant in OS, whether it is the
one with the skill to enable the process to start (the "facilitator") or all the
other participants and their special skills are allways equal - no exception.
This is where I see the connection back to congruence. If the words are not
matched by behavior, it will show. And the behavior of equality is probably not
mainstream - neither in the US nor in Europe.

This does mean that it can not be changed - but it is hard ad requires in my
mind three things: the will to change, rigorous selfobservation and practices
that enable new forms of behavior to emerge (and to become ingrained). No easy
task - but richly rewarding.

Uwe

Pathway Guidance, Rinnengaerten 1, 34516 Voehl-Marienhagen, Germany
email: uwe.weissflog at pathwayguidance.com
email (personal): uwe.weissflog at t-online.de
phone: 49-5635-991197; fax: 49-5635-993934

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