the 'os' weblog

[Harrison Owen]

Thanks Diane -- Point taken! And I think it is also true that sometimes
history is not quite the way we would have had it written. Fact of the
matter is -- it was two Martinis. Well more or less, because the Vermouth
was evident mostly by its absence. AND there is not a day in my life in
which I am not profoundly awed by the gift of Open Space as it seems to have
passed through me. I am not sure it is really about humility (mine) but
rather the sheer wonder that even in such common moments as quiet drink on
the patio -- Spirit speaks. Was the alcohol essential? By no means! That is
just the way it happened. 

But, you might justifiably ask -- why keep the tale alive? I suppose that
part of the answer might be my natural curmudgeonly nature. I just love a
good story, particularly one with a twist. And the twist on this one, so far
as I am concerned is that Open Space showed up not as the product of
prodigious research, deep meditation, humongous effort -- it just popped up.
And I take a lesson from this which is all about being attentive to the
moment and the ways in which inspiration (Spirit?) breaks through. Now of
course it took a good 5 years before I saw OS to be important, and another
15 until I actually think I understand some of the mechanisms and
implications. But in the moment it was the Moment. Awesome in its
commonality.


Harrison

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Harrison Owen
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-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Diane
Brandon
Sent: Sunday, January 01, 2006 12:10 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: the 'os' weblog

Harrison, I'm going to admit, online, that when you say things like "[OST]
emerged full blown from a martini glass" - it's hard for me to read! 

My knowing, and I think yours and others', is that OST was inspired,
in-spirited, not from alcohol, but from something much better than that
substance! Whether called "collective unconscious", "higher power", Creator,
Goddess/God, Allah, The Great Spirit, or whatever....... these wonderful,
universal thoughts are gifts to us all, through you and others who are good
"receivers" of such thoughts. 

Perhaps you are too humble to say that you receive inspiration from higher
sources.

Perhaps you find yourself "receiving" better after a martini, and you are
just joking about that - as you've done other times.

But it pains me, and I'm going to be honest about it, in this forum of
honesty! In my years as an alcohol counselor, on college campuses and with
adults, including Native Americans in Arizona, I saw way too much suffering
around the use of alcohol to want to see it praised as the sources of great
ideas.

With appreciation for people, and a passionate love of inspiration and great
ideas, 

Diane Brandon
Eliot, Maine

 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net>

> The thought did occur to me that I could have said something similar about
> 20 years ago when Open Space Technology emerged full blown from a martini
> glass. Or 15 years ago when OST suddenly appeared to be something useful,
> and maybe even important -- since it kept showing up in full page feature
> stories in such odd places as the New York Times, The Washington Post, The
> LA Times, etc, etc. But I didn't.
> 

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