wholeness and action in the pot of community

[Birgitt Williams]

Hi Michael,
We have indeed been learning for each other here in this community for many
years and I thank you for all the learnings from you. As for the current
situation, which for me is about community finding its way, I am at peace
with the list. I am not at peace with the archives being searchable by the
search engines and don't like this which I consider an invasion of our
community.

I will be more at peace with the list if we can agree on its purpose, sort
out a few givens to create the 'basket' of what it is, and find a way of
having a democratic decision making process. I was pleased that the decision
to open the archives up was only you making a decision with the tech folks.
That--I understand. Something that troubled me at the beginning of this
conversation was that there might be a decision making vehicle by part of
this community that had not made itself known to the community. So...I am
happy to have been made aware that this is not so. I truly wish that the
question of the archives could be opened up to those involved to decide how
we would like this handled. I think it would be best to have a community
decision.

Somewhere in the past (must be in those archives), I posted a notion that
there might just be a masculine and feminine energy difference here. For
those who study the ICHING, you will know that the first hexagram is all
masculine or dynamic energy. I see this equal to the energy of wanting to
scatter seed (very masculine) anywhere, see where it lands and whatever
happens is the only thing.... The second hexagram is all feminine or
receptive energy. This provides the container for the seed to have a place
to land and to flourish. The 'givens' to me are the latter. They are not
limiting because they can be changed at any time by agreement. They do
however, provide the container.

Blessings,
Birgitt





-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]On Behalf Of Michael
Herman
Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2004 7:43 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: wholeness and action in the pot of community


dearest birgitt,

i have been with you here, in this big circle, for something like eight
years now.  i've learned from you and with you.  i would like nothing
more than for you to feel comfortable and happy and whole with the way
this list is, with what this community is, and how it works as a list.

as i say, the current situation arose quite by accident, through a
misunderstanding between myself and the good folks who run this thing
for us.  my request for info turned into action.  and it catches me at a
time when i am already feeling a bit tapped out by other technical
os-web issues that i've been taking care of.  it bothers me to have one
more thing to deal with here.  but of course i do.  we do.  and we are.
and i am.  here.

so i am wondering what it is that you and i could do together that would
maximize your happiness in this community.  what do you think would be
best for all people everywhere?  what could we do together, as
participants in the same circle?  what can i do as just one guy who
happens to be sitting next to you in the circle, that would move us
closer to whole here?

more and more the discussion has been spinning around me.  questions and
comments start to refer to me rather than the process, having already
drifted from teh underlying technicalities.   it seems that having my
name associated so closely with the underlying issues here takes away
some of my space to speak and be heard.  i get tagged with things that
just aren't me.  i don't want to be isolated in this way.

now i want to hear from you about what resolution would look like for
you.  i want to do what i can to help that.  again, as co-participants
in this circle, recognizing that just like in any open space event, all
the participants have equal access to reading and posting... but not all
participants are "equal."  our differences need not be cause for
unhappiness or suspicion, isolation or violation.  we have different
skills and resources.  how can we help each other?

so what can i do as an ordinary participant sitting next to you, with my
own special set of skills and resources?  what can we co-convene?  i am
fairly well worn out by previous lines of questioning, but i would very
much like to get to something that would feel resolved to you.  what do
you want to happen now?  how can we do the most good for you, for the
members of the oslist, and for all humans with computers and flipcharts
and markers?

where might wholeness be hiding?  what do you really want to happen
here?  what do you think is best for you, and for everyone?  i tell you
the same i tell everyone here, i'm glad to help if i'm able.  in the
meantime, i'm going to get back to other work and let the rest of
everyone explore those other deeper questions and containers.

when i grow up, *i'm* going to be a *lurker*!

best for now, michaelh




--

Michael Herman
Michael Herman Associates
300 West North Avenue #1105
Chicago IL 60610 USA
(312) 280-7838

http://www.michaelherman.com - consulting & publications
http://www.globalchicago.net - laboratory & playground
http://www.openspaceworld.org - worldwide open space

...inviting organization into movement

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