Growing Together at the Emerging Edge of Evolution (long)

[Peggy Holman]

Harrison said:

Through my eyes it has always appeared to me that there is precious little that occurs at a deep level in WC, AI, and FS -- that does not also occur in OS. Further, that the deepest moments of the preceding three happen when the space (for whatever reason) is most fully open...if the common point of power is open space -- why not just Open Space? Not much else needed. 


Harrison, I deeply and firmly believe that all roads lead to Open Space.  And yet, I do work with AI and occaisionally TWC and I applaud the work of my fs colleagues.  Why?  Because they are where a client is willing to start AND they lead to Open Space.

Years ago I remember you telling me that anytime you do something for another, it disempowers them.  Anytime I consider supporting someone in some way, I think of this.  As I've experimented with this through the years  (mostly by not stepping in to help), I saw others support someone that I had left (lovingly) to find their way on their own.  In many cases, that helping hand gave the person or group the start they needed to take the next step on their own.  My conclusion: there are times that support, provided sparingly and always, always with the intent of letting go, is of service.  That is how I hold any work I do that requires me to do silly facilitator gyrations like asking people to do activity a, then b.  

The critical, critical discipline for me is to continually ask myself my favorite Harrison design question: "what's one less thing to do (and have this be whole and complete)?"  I know without hesitation that anytime things start getting complicated that it is time to step back and ask, "what is the intent?" and "what is the minimum required for this to occur"?


You said:
...it is not The Designed Process (AI, FS, WC, or OS) but rather the natural gift possessed by all of us that deserves the credit. 

...I seriously doubt that the genesis of all that good stuff happened because of brilliant design and application. It happened because a total natural and pre-existing phenomenon was allowed to do its work. Most importantly, this phenomenon was NOT the creation of the conference designers and facilitators. It was in fact the natural "possession" of the group as a whole, and each individual present. 


Absolutely!  Goodness knows that I wouldn't dream of taking credit for their work!  I do believe that what is useful is naming what is happening (e.g., speaking the law and the principles) so that they have the gift of consciously knowing what's working and can take it with them when they leave.  

To that end, I have taken to describing the law of two feet with the phrase "Take responsibility for what you love".  While simply another way of talking about passion and responsibility, it has remarkable potency.  In fact, I learned something new about the implications of this invitation.  On my way to breakfast on the third morning, one of the many luminaries at the gathering stopped me with a clear, crisp call.  She said that she'd just "gotten" what it means to take responsibility for what you love.  She explained that she had been excluded from a journal on a subject in which she is an acknowledged expert.  She had been hurt and fretting about it and wasn't sure what to do with the angst.  She told me she woke up with my face in hers saying, "take repsonsibility for what you love" and immediately knew what she had to do.  She started composing a letter to the publisher telling him that he needed to publish something of hers and indeed, that he needed her as a keynote at an upcoming conference.  And with that, she could let go.  She went on to say (and this is where my new learning comes in) that in the past she would have told herself that it was her ego talking and let it go.  What the phrase "take responsibility for what you love" did for her was help her discern calling from ego.  It gave her the power to act appropriately.

Wow!  She did the work.  No question.  Yet those words -- take responsibility for what you love --  the essence of Open Space, made it possible for her to clearly see herself and her power in a new way.

As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't get any better.

from sunny Seattle,
Peggy



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