Growing Together at the Emerging Edge of Evolution (long)

Fri May 27 14:33:01 PDT 2005

Harrison:

This response to Peggy about Open Space in relationship to other process,
AI, WC, or FS, and OS makes my "innards quake," my spirit quiver, and scares
the hell out of me all at the same time.  Talking about counterintuitive.
Wow!

Thanks, Craig

<br><br><br>----Original Message Follows----<br>From: Harrison Owen
<hhowen at comcast.net><br>Reply-To: OSLIST
<OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU><br>To:
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<br>Subject: Re: Growing Together at the
Emerging Edge of Evolution (long)<br>Date: Fri, 27 May 2005 16:53:37
-0400<br><br>Peggy -- you will note that I said,  " I can certainly
understand that for reasons of client sensitivities or facilitator
sensitivities WC, AI, or FS may be the preferred way to go."-- and I
can  appreciate your strategy that if all roads lead to Open Space any road
will do. And of course I think a helping hand can be occasionally useful
even though I personally kick all stray dogs and immediately banish the
helpless to hopelessness. But that really wasn't my point. I was simply
observing the fact that we (all of us some of the time, and some of us most
of the time) seemingly obsess on Processes as if they were the source of our
salvation. In doing so we may forget that the Process, at best, is an
artificial assist for natural functions. Sort of organizational CPR, I
suppose. And in the case of CPR you do only enough to get the old heart
going again. Long term CPR is off the mark -- except possibly in certain
circumstances and with particular partners. One of my major learnings from
Open Space has been how LITTLE assistance people actually require in order
to effectively utilize their natural gifts and talents. I think we have all
had the experience with a client group when somebody says "What you are
proposing (in my case OS) sounds just wonderful -- BUT it could never work
with THIS GROUP! And of course, if it is never tried, it will never work.
And besides "it" doesn't work -- the people work. But if the fates
are smiling, and despite all misgivings, fears and trepidations, Open Space
is attempted -- Miracle! But of course it is not a miracle. On the contrary,
it is just what you would predict. Turns out "THIS GROUP" is just
like groups everywhere. Given the space/time -- they will get the job done.
For me, less is best, and even lesser would be better still. Get rid of the
whole bloody mess, WC, AI, FS, and of course OS too. How is that for
striking a blow for freedom?<br><br>Harrison<br><br>Harrison Owen<br>7808
River Falls Dr.<br>Potomac, MD  20854<br>USA<br>301-365-2093<br>207-763-3261
(summer)<br>website www.openspaceworld.com<br><br><br>   ----- Original
Message -----<br>   From: Peggy Holman<br>   To:
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<br>   Sent: Friday, May 27, 2005 11:54 AM<br>
   Subject: Re: Growing Together at the Emerging Edge of Evolution
(long)<br><br><br>   Harrison said:<br><br>   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.<br><br><br>   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.<br><br>   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.<br><br>   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"?<br><br><br>   You said:<br>   ...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.<br><br>   ...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.<br><br><br>   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.<br><br>   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.<br><br>   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.<br><br>   As far as I'm concerned, it
doesn't get any better.<br><br>   from sunny Seattle,<br>
Peggy<br><br><br><br>   * *
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