wholeness and action in the pot of community

Mon Apr 5 20:29:58 PDT 2004

sounds like you're about to invite more conversation about what the
container for the oslist is and/or should be.  so far there has been
quite a bit offered, so you've got a good start.  seems important not to
forget that many have already voiced some ideas and preferences on
this.  don't want mean to be forgetting or excluding those folks from
whatever next round emerges here.  i've never been much good at talking
about givens and making a container, maybe it is that m/f thing, but
somehow my things work out... so i'll be a follower here for now.  god
knows i've no illusions of being in charge of this little system of
ours.  <grin>

guess i'd just add that as for the 'sowing seeds' view... i suppose i
know something about that process, but my daily practice in my work and
my mind is all about opening my heart to hold more and more beings, to
be mutual with them, and so it seems that the skin or basket or
container can be exactly what it always has been, for me the purpose,
process, and the rest of our story as laid out in FAQs and the rest of
our history is all still same as it ever was... only now we are
beginning to stretch our collective heart and our practice and our
technology, to expand all of  that, to hold more and more beings.  which
is to say that the focus for me is not on the messages, the seeds as you
say, but on us and our practice and stretching our welcome and our
'community' in the direction of all people everywhere.

so how do you want to organize this thing?  m

Birgitt Williams wrote:

>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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--

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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