OST, OSO, OSW... (an overall coment on "It always works revisited")

Fr Brian S Bainbridge briansb at mira.net
Tue Jun 10 19:56:06 PDT 2003


Dear Larry - And Artur
I have very much the same attitudes and experience, though working in a
different "south land" from Artur's which is at best "middle" if one
looks at the whole world instead of just Europe, Artur.
Maybe the globalization of language and understanding has to be
progressed a lot further than we have managed so far in our world and
time if we are to be able to address Artur's concerns and "accusations".
That will be wonderful - but, in the meantime, "Whatever happens is the
only thing that could have", as you have brilliantly described, Larry.
I recall a lady telling me that she answered a French gentleman who
challenged her right to be i  Paris if she could not speak the language
by saying "we have come here to really learn to appreciate more the
wonderful loveliness of your country (France) and to spend some money
which will help the French economy a little, too.  And I am sad that you
have had such a sheltered life that you have never visited a country
where you could not speak the language".
I yearn to speak other languages, but I know that open Space can and
does help differently-languaged people get to understand one another
just a little bit more.  That, for me, is worth living.
Cheers and blessings,   BRIAN.

Larry Peterson wrote:
> "whatever happens is what could have" to be a general law of the world
> or a general principle of Spirit. On the contrary, in a world where so
> many of us refuse to fight for a better and Open World, letting the
> playfield free for those that pollute the earth, but also the bodies and
> hearts of the citizens of the world, I think that using at this level
> the "whatever happens is what could have" is dangerous and, sorry for
> saying that, even irresponsible."  -- Autur
>
> I have a couple of responses Autur.  One as a social activist who worked
> his buns off to change the nature of homelessness in Canada.  My social
> analysis led me to see the root causes of so many things, but
> particularly homelessness as things that "could" have been different.
> It could have been different if -- even to the point of saying that if I
> had done something different in my youth -- protested harder, loved
> more, had Paul's faith, gone to church more, become a celibate, not
> rebelled against my parents.  I am convinced that had people,
> governments, citizens, Hitler, Mohammed all made different choices it
> could have been different.  But, they did not make different choices and
> I cannot remake those choices now.  I can only learn from "whatever
> happened" and make the choice I can make now.  It is liberating for me
> to assume that "what ever happened was the only thing that could have".
> It is where we have gotten from the combination of choices that were
> made -- and like Ken Wilbur I think all of reality makes choices in
> becoming what it is in every moment, not just people.
>
> I do believe it empowers participants in Open Space Technology to also
> assume that during the time together "what ever happens is the only
> thing that could have".  It does help me and others to attend to what is
> possible now -- and do it (or not).
>
> As for Ongoing Open Space always working.  The relationship of an Open
> Space Technology event to an ongoing organizational form is the learning
> journey I am on with others.  Large, complex, hierarchical organizations
> will not become OS organizations because of an event or a series of
> events.  It can enable such an organization to experience "flow" to
> function at another level.  But it does not eliminate the hierarchy or
> the need for it in that organization.  It can "transcend and include".
> But include means the best of what has worked in the past (whatever
> happened) to get that organization where it is.  It takes a shift to
> another level of consciousness, culture, behaviour and system
> interaction -- all levels and all quadrants for an existing complex
> organization to become an OSO.  They are not there yet, most of us are
> not either -- whatever happens is the only thing that could've.
>
> You can tell I've been home with a cold.
>
> Larry
>
> Larry Peterson
> Associates in Transformation
> Toronto, ON, Canada
> 416.653.4829
>
> larry at spiritedorg.com
> www.spiritedorg.com
>
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--
Fr Brian S. Bainbridge
0412 111 525

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