The Possibilities of Peace

[Harrison Owen]

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It was never my intention to get into the "Peace Business."  Nor was it my
intention to write another book. But in the course of my life my intentions
are often overlooked, and happenstance rules. So much for a life plan. And
now, the book - The Practice of Peace - is available in a 2nd edition.

Happenstance, in this case was a fortuitous journey to The Middle East
several years ago.  I went to that troubled part of the world lacking any
clear understanding of what I might usefully contribute. To say that I was
confused would be gross understatement. But confusion, as I have learned, is
often (always?) an essential precondition to deeper insight. Confusion rids
the mind of all you thought you knew, and thereby opens some space for new
ideas. The new ideas, in my case, were perhaps closer to a blinding flash of
the obvious. Twenty years' experience with Open Space Technology, over
40,000 iterations in 83 countries had demonstrated to myself and thousands
of colleagues, that every time space was opened, a most remarkable and
unexpected result occurred. I called it Genuine Community, the sort where
differences (of opinion, ethnicity, economics, politics etc.) were if
anything amplified AND those involved found it possible to treat each other
with respect, often coming close to real affection. It seemed to me that
another word for this phenomenon is Peace. Further more, the deeper the
original conflicts the more intense was the sense of community.

Why all this should be happening and what might be done with it remained
hidden in my cloud of confusion. Hence the book, which began life as a set
of confused notes to myself in search of clarity and understanding. Anybody
who says that they write a book does not fully understand the process, I
think. And certainly in my case, the book wrote me. As those of you who have
shared in this little odyssey will know, confused notes eventually yielded
to some form of connected text, which in turn was shared with some 180
colleagues for their critique. And critique in full measure was given and
gratefully received - yielding a book which was published collaboratively by
the several Open Space Institutes around the world with the title, The
Practice of Peace. In the intervening period since publication, there have
been multiple workshops and conferences around the world, each contributing
to a deeper understanding of Open Space and the possibilities of Peace. Now,
I am pleased to announce that a 2nd Edition has been published by The Human
Dynamics Institute.

In substance, the 2nd Edition is not radically different from the 1st, but
countless hours of concerned conversation with colleagues and friends around
the world have tightened the focus, enhanced the flow, and brought to mind a
number of facets that had been neglected in the first attempt. In short it
is a much better book.

As an author, I have always found it difficult, not to say embarrassing, to
recommend my own books. However, in the case of this book, The Practice of
Peace 2nd Edition, I have no such qualms. This is not theory in search of a
practice, but just the reverse. The practice required the theory simply
because the practice works. Every time Space opens, Peace seems to break
out. And the application is not only in the global arena of conflicted
people, but also in the multiple areas of human life were Peace appears in
jeopardy, including families, community organizations, and businesses. 

Such qualms as I may have about apparent self-serving advertising are also
mitigated by the fact that even though my name appears on the book (and I
take full responsibility for all errors and omissions), this book is in
truth a communal production. Literally thousands of people all over the
world have contributed great thoughts and ideas. So this is not so much an
advertisement for my book, but  our book.

To receive a copy for yourself or to pass along to a friend, you may contact
the good folks at the Institute --   www.hsdinstitute.org/dept_press.asp.
Also the several Open Space Institutes can provide copies. Click on
http://openspaceworld.com/intro%20to%20pop.htm for the details. Last, but
not least, I believe that www.amazon.com will be carrying this book as they
have also carried my others.

Thanks for bearing with me. I hope you will read and enjoy, but most of all
use  -- The Practice of Peace.


Harrison



Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, Maryland   20845
Phone 301-365-2093

Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com <http://www.openspaceworld.com/>

Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
Personal website http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm
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