For Artur et al re the "North American" touch

[Harrison Owen]

>"Artur F. Silva" wrote:
>
> > For a movement to be "world-wide" it is not enough, IMHO, that events
> > are organised in many places. It is also needed that different experiences
> > are reported to a common forum and discussed there, with reference
> > to pertinent theory.
> >
>  Chris wrote:

>We've had this discussion before...is Open Space a "movement"?  I personally
>don't think so.  I don't use it as part of a movement either....so I don't
>feel it is especially necessary to have OST do one thing or another or be used
>here there and everywhere to meet any conditions of a "world-wide movement."
>For me, it is the most effective group meeting process ever invented, with
>lots of personal, social and political implications to be sure, but I don't
>feel like I'm part of an "Open Space movement" (towards....?).  I'm just a
>facilitator, using a tricky, yet effective process, who joined the list
>because he needed folks to bounce ideas off of.

I confess I too get a little nervous with the notion of Open Space as a
"movement." And certainly at its point of genesis (in the bottom of two
Martinis) it was anything but. Having said all that, I find myself rather
awe struck by  what we have learned and accomplished with the gift of two
Martinis. As we approach the 16th year of this ongoing natural, and
therefore serendipitous, experiment, I think the learning (certainly my
learning) has been much more related to the enormous (and generally
under-utilized) potential of Homo sapiens, than about serving clients and
facilitating gatherings. For me, Open Space has become a blinding flash of
the obvious -- if we can do so much and feel so good -- why not do it all
the time? And if we are of mind to do just that Open Space Technology can
help -- not by adding something new, but rather by confronting us with what
we already are. So if being fully what we already are represents a
"movement" -- then I guess Open Space is guilty. On the other hand, it may
simply be a matter of stopping long enough to appreciate what is. Just the
antithesis of movement.

Harrison


Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, MD 20854 USA
phone 301-469-9269
fax 301-983-9314
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
Personal website www.mindspring.com/~owenhh

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