law of two feet in big circles

Tue Oct 5 20:54:13 PDT 2004

I say the L2F (my coinage) works everywhere. It is one of the most empowering thing about OS to me. However as you say, cultural norms, politeness and the fear that others will form negative opinions about you keep me from leaving when what is happening is something that I don't want to participate in. 

Loved Therese's very well made point about the container and its importance. Alex and I talked this stuff in Goa itself.....

I have two points to make:
  1.. Religious ceremony and ritual is different from cultural activity and should be recognized as such. Cultural activity within reason is fine and inclusive. religious ceremony is not. For example, the Goa OSonOS began with a Hindu religious ceremony of worshiping Ganesha. I being Muslim and another of the participants of another faith did not take part. For me it was the fact that idol worship is against my religion so I don't take part it in. What was disconcerting is that firstly I had no idea that this ceremony was going to happen or I would have simply come later and would not have to be standing there with my hands behind my back while everyone else was standing with eyes closed and hands folded in front of them. Secondly the thought that being in India with all the undercurrent of communal hatred I had a feeling I would be seen as the Muslim Fundamentalist Intolerant chap. My own cowardice if you want to call it that........but I live here. As it happened, one of my other Indian (in this case not even a Hindu) friends noticed and obliquely spoke to me about the importance of being "tolerant"......
  2.. The second issue is that the best thing about OS to me in the inclusiveness. Having religious ceremonies in Opening or Closing Circles takes away from that. Religion excludes those who don't subscribe to it. The lines are rigid and so people do one of two things: either pretend to participate (which is compromising on their integrity) or they walk out which is disturbing. If one wants to have religious ceremonies or explain religion or its significance or to start a dialogue on any religion, then the Market Place is the place to start that discussion. People then have the option of volunteering for that discussion if it interests them and it is not something that gets sprung on their poor unsuspecting souls.
           Yawar
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Therese Fitzpatrick 
  To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU 
  Sent: Wednesday, October 06, 2004 4:06 AM
  Subject: Re: law of two feet in big circles

  I'd like to hear from folks on this list.  Whazzup with the law of two feet
  in morning and evening circles?

  I agree with Alex that it applies in the big circles and I agree with Alex
  that it always applies (I happen to think OS is the way reality works and in
  reality each of us are free to do exactly what feels right to us in each
  moment). . .

  Even if the nature of reality suggests that the law of two feet applies also
  in morning and evening OS circles, what about cultural norms?  I know I can
  remove myself from an end-of-the-day reflection circle and I sometimes do
  leave when things start to happen that are beyond the scope of individuals
  reflecting on their day in OS.   Sometimes a small play will take over. . .
  that is no longer individuals reflecting on their day.  Sometimes there is
  lots of singing. . . that is no longer individual reflections upon the day.
  . . I love small plays.  I love to sing new songs in groups.  But I like to
  hear individual reflections on their day in OS and whereas I have all day to
  go to marketplace sessions about plays and songs, I just get the one
  opportunity to have a reflection circle.

  In my personal cosmology, it is rude to dominate a circle of people gathered
  to reflect upon their shared day in OS because, as Alex points out, even
  though the law of two feet still applies during the reflection circle,
  taking up the group's attention for something other than reflection is, at
  the very least, not fair play.

  As I waited too long for a bus this afternoon, I had an insight into why the
  OSONOS circles seem to be veering into what seems 'weird' to some.  I
  haven't been to an OSONOS but I have been to eight Spirited Work gatherings
  which has a similar dynamic of many of the same people going over and over
  and many people becoming more and more familiar with the concept of OS.  I
  have noticed a tendency amongst my SW cohorts to slip into sloppy thinking
  and to think that OS means anything and everything that they want it to mean
  in every single solitary moment.  Just because one is among friends and
  among lovely OS believers does not mean that one can be more sloppy in one's
  consideration of one's fellow human being.   And, again, I fall back on my
  comfort of sticking with a form once it is created.

  Some people think sticking to a form is being rigid or anal retentive and/or
  somehow wrong/bad.  Over and over in my life I have found tremendous inner
  power from holding myself to a bit of discipline.  See my previous
  discussion of holding to form.  Holding to a brilliantly simple form like OS
    can yield simply brilliant results.

  So.  What do folks have to say about law of two feet in morning and
  reflection circles?!

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