A Summer for Silent Witness?

[Harrison Owen]

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It has been a strange summer, almost as if the world were holding its
breath, waiting. . . for what? War continues in Iraq, but it all seems more
of the same. The American economy moves a step forward, only to fall a step
back. True, the embattled Liberians appear to be in for a moment of peace,
and in The Middle East, there are some small signs of progress, but the
Fence continues to extend, the settlements to expand. A friend of mine says
this is the time for Silent Witness, and I agree -- at least for myself.

Silent Witness is absolutely not to be confused with non-involvement,
although it is definitely at the other end of the spectrum from active
Doing. The role of Silent Witness is obviously not for everyone (thank God)
for there are many things to be done, but with all the doing, there is a
place for quiet contemplation, the simple holding of all that is in clear
consciousness -- fully recognizing that the consciousness is never clear
and the totality of creation vastly exceeds our capacity to hold. It is an
affirmative role, acknowledging what is -- without blame or judgement. It
is also remarkably difficult and hard work. The obvious wrongs and
abundant, arrogant stupidities in our midst call out to be fixed. And what
good is a Silent Witness? Shouldn't we be doing something??

At a personal level,  the role of Silent Witness is a marvelous way to
re-establish perspective. In the confusion of the moment, I find it useful
to recall that the President of the most powerful nation on Earth is but a
dust spot on the great panorama of human history, no matter what the White
House press office may say. Further, that great panorama of human history
is barely a nanosecond in the history of our planet, which is turn is only
a minor subplot at the edge of a second rate Galaxy. In the grand order of
things, our tribulations add up to little more than a minor cosmic dust
eddy. Far from being depressing, I find this perspective cleansing to a
soul over busied with troubles and concerns. Of course, I understand this
is our world and our lives that stand in jeopardy -- but I count it as a
great privilege just being here. Even if all I feel like doing is bitch.

On a broader level, I find the role of Silent Witness to be a salient
addition to the mad world of every day doing. A point of reference, a
steady rock in the winds, a constant reminder of who we really are when we
feel lost in the trivia and tumult. I am quite clear that being the Silent
Witness in this broader sense is not a role you can claim for yourself. The
role can only be conferred by our fellows. I am deeply thankful for those
special creatures who are Silent Witnesses for me. And if in some way I can
return the favor, I will feel blessed.

And so this summer I have found myself engaged as Silent Witness, if only
for myself. The fact that I have been here in Maine by a lake, with
multiple forays to the nearby ocean since June, and have no expectation of
leaving until September, should have made my task all the easier. But
appearances can be deceiving. For the first time in my life that I can
remember, I have done nothing of substance. No books have been written,
edited, even thought about. Not a conference or congress on my calender.
And the last client I saw was in Washington almost two months ago. Ideal,
you might think, but I have never struggled more in my life. Doing nothing,
it turns out, is very hard work.

Come September, it will be back to the doing side of things. And it would
be my hope to spend time with as many of you who care to connect. In
addition to the serendipitous crossing of paths, you might also make an
intention (forget about plans) to join me and some wonderful colleagues in
The Practice of Peace. Calling this a training program would be a misnomer.
I would prefer, Learning Expedition -- as we all explore our roles and
responsibilities as peacemakers for ourselves, our organizations, and our
world over the course of three rich and intense days. The expedition
departs from Toronto in September (contact Larry Peterson <
larry at spiritedorg.com> or Audrey Coward <abc at interlog.com> ), From Seattle
in November (contact Peggy Holman
<peggy at opencirclecompany.com>),  Cleveland in December (Contact Herb
Stevenson <Therbstevenson at aol.com>), and New York in January (Contact Karen
Davis <kdavis at concentric.net>.
For all the details click on www.openspaceworld.com

I look forward to seeing you when and wherever!

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 http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm

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