Money's Worth (LONG)

[Harrison Owen]

At 10:22 AM 6/22/2003 +0800, Brendan  McKeague wrote:


>"I can really feel my people's pain during the past two days" said an
>emotional Field Worker from the Philippines "These tears were not in the
>script (as she broke down and wept) - I would like my people to experience
>what I have experienced here these past days - the freedom and the
>community we have developed - if only we could sort out our conflicts in
>this way"

>"We're here together, experiencing democracy in action. I wouldn't have
>believed this was possible. This is my fourth Regional conference and by
>far the best yet. The way which ex-patriots and indigenous staff have
>collaborated here is far-and-away better than I've ever seen."
>
>"Usually there is a distance between us and indigenous and overseas staff
>find it difficult to really get down to deeper communication. This barrier
>was broken here and we have connected at a deeper level."

This is a marvelous piece Brendan, and I suspect you will hold the memories
of that time out of time, caught between tranquility and terror, for a long
time to come.  At least that has always been my experience. The several
comments that I copied above struck me particularly, if only because they
capture what for me is the central gift of Open Space in this time. Call it
whatever you like -- I call it Peace. It is a gift we give every time we
enable the opening of space -- although of course it is not our gift, but
the gift of the people given to themselves. I am sure you told that Field
Worker from the Philippines that of course her people can experience the
same thing the moment she chooses to Open Space.

Words like "mission" and "responsibility" get thrown about with such
abandon that often they lose their meaning -- But if we have a mission and
a responsibility, I believe that we are under special obligation to open
space wherever, however, and about whatever we can -- as often as we can --
simply so that the critical experience of genuine Peace remains present as
a beacon in what all too often appears as a darkening world. And when that
experience disappears, as it has in many places, respect, trust and hope
also go the way of the dodo Bird. It isn't about "selling Open Space" --
Just do it.

Harrison

PS -- I find that it always works! (smile)


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

OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu
Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html




*
*
==========================================================
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
------------------------------
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu,
Visit:

http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.openspacetech.org/pipermail/oslist-openspacetech.org/attachments/20030622/b9d1e23c/attachment-0016.htm>