Democracy and Open Space

[Ethelyn & Harrison Owen]

Chris wrote:
>Maybe it's me (Harrison might think so...he once described the aversion
>to voting as "Canadian.")
>
>Another thing that bugs me about voting is that it says "wasn't that
>Open Space thing interesting?  Okay, let's get back to reality..."  In
>other words, it doesn't model the new reality, but reinforces the old
>one.  I have had people express exactly this disappointment to me.  They
>have said "Oh rats...we were really starting to get somewhere..."
>
>And this "getting somewhere..."  Doesn't that echo John's notion of
>democracy as a journey?  I don't think that democracy IS voting, nor do
>I think that voting in and of itself is democracy.  To reduce one to the
>other removes the role and responsibilities of the citizen to act and
>improve the system.  Perhaps real democracy invites this action.  Voting
>is just a way to see what's popular.
>
>So OST is "democratic" if it invites folks to be citizens, encourages
>them to use their feet, and provides a way for outcomes to unfold
>without domination from powerful interests.

Actually, I would argue that people always vote, it is only a question of
how they do it. The simple truth of the matter is that some issues have
more energy than others. Doesn't make the others bad -- just not so
pertinent at that moment. The procedure I use is balloting, and I make it
very clear that it is not a political win/lose -- just an expression of
energy. Never seemed to have a problem.

Harrison


>Harrison Owen

7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, MD 20854 USA
phone 301-365-2093
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
Personal website www.mindspring.com\~owenhh

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