Half-way Technology (longish)

Michael Herman mherman at globalchicago.net
Wed May 19 10:48:35 PDT 2004


if inviting is focus on me and my being open, and engagement is focus on
others/group and their/its being...

or if inviting is appreciating and engagement is noticing needs/gaps...

then the pain seems to come when i collapse or otherwise get stuck on
one side....

pulsation... breathing... flow between the two... mutuality... finding
inviting, finding engagement, back and forth pulsing, refining until
there is not only the awareness of one and then awareness of the other,
but also simultaneously awareness of the both... this is what seems to
cut through the pain... if i can hold this mutual view...

this pulsing back and forth is what happens when we get a little soapy
water and try to blow the biggest bubble possible... balancing inner air
and outer result... the pressure taken to fill the bubble and the
restraint needed to keep it on the little loop a bit longer so it can
grow still bigger yet... or when riding a bicycle... a little left, a
little right... pulsing between... we don't call it "not falling off the
bike to the left and not falling off the bike to the right"  we focus on
the both... and call it "riding a bicycle"...so we are doing these
mutuality things all the time...

it can actually be practiced with anything.  bring attention fully to
yourself as a body, a self, that IS, eyes closed, then open and look at
a tree, a squirrel, a cockroach, any other being... and notice as
attention/focus literally jumps or creeps or leaks in the direction of
noticing that that other being also IS... once you find this movement,
it's possible to do practice... me them me them me them... watching
attention watch.

this then comes back to what i've heard you say long time ago,
harrison... when folks asked "what are you doing when facilitating open
space"  ...picking up cups... "yes but what are you really *doing*"
...and i think your answer was something about "witnessing"

...so i would offer the word "witnessing"  ...paying attention... and
suggest that it is the quality of noticing self and others, pulsing so
as to make the two appear as a one... called riding the tiger or holding
a space... balancing between perfectly solid control and the emptiness
of absolute unknowing...

peace then can include confusion, chaos, conflict and their more welcome
reciprocals, in mutuality, as the confluence of the view that is
naturally there, always there, as you say harrison... if we only notice
the two sides everything as the one.   maybe you'll say more about your
witnessing, harrison?





Julie Smith wrote:

>
>Hmmmmm..... maybe that's the big difference.  Doing OST (as a
>facilitator) means you invite, but you don't engage.  Being OST (or just
>being in the way florian describes) means you do both at the same time.
>My experience so far is that doing both is painful.  That is probably a
>reflection of the energy of the community I entered.  I wonder what's on
>the other side.
>
>Julie
>
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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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