The End of Quiet Time

Harrison Owen hhowen at verizon.net
Tue Mar 7 11:49:21 PST 2006


I guess my thought was a bit more practical. These architects and government
folks (and others) could use a lot of help doing what they say they want to
do. Who knows if it will do any good, but it seemed that the least we might
do is give them a hand. I confess that when I first heard the presentation
mentioned, I along with everybody else in the room sat in stunned silence.
Definitely an "Oh Shit" moment. Truthfully, the information provided was not
essentially new to me -- albeit the immediacy was. As I recovered a bit, it
occurred to me that there was an enormous opportunity here as well as
extreme danger. The scenario is so much bigger than any of us or our
"little" issues (peace, war, famine, plague -- to say nothing of the
"economy") that it might just serve to put all the rest in some sort of
useful context. And, who knows it might just get some useful conversations
started. 

Harrison

Harrison Owen
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-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Michael
Herman
Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 1:35 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: The End of Quiet Time

Here's another thought, not to oversimplify or otherwise diminish the
consequences of what is coming, but to offer a slightly different
view.

What if these changes made in the environment were already too big to
stop?  What makes us think that we could coordinate control of
planetary weather in the first place?  What if rather than stopping
the changes, we learned to *move* better?  What if the buildings we
needed were not "green", but mobile, for instance?  And work, what if
it was more mobile?  But, of course, work already is getting more
mobile!

Chris suggests 'NOT being part of the problem.'  This in itself is a
huge piece of work, possibly impossible.  The systems we have are the
problem and we're inescapable part of most of those.  Why not just
write off the losses of this real estate and move on?  Because we all
hold currencies and other assets, and buy food and insurance and heat,
in markets that would go nuts if we did this all at once.  The good
news, if there is such a thing, is that we don't have to do it all at
once.  I would say that I'm looking for ways to be part of new ways of
living, and that new life seems to be all kinds of 'movement'.

The story Chris quotes in my weblog is amazing to me.  It shows me
that Life can go on.  Life keeps moving.  This is what I try to
practice... movement.  Flexible, lively, smart but porous, loosely
formed and constantly informed boundaries and bodies and plans.  And I
try to do this as visibly as I can, as invitation, teaching, and
contribution.  I think most of us are doing this on some level, and
this is what I think we might look for all kinds of large and small
ways to do more of.  Make more moves, tell more stories, invite more
friends, support more connections.

Every movement, from deepest inner to broadest social, is practice
that matters, or so it seems to me just now.

Michael





On 3/7/06, Chris Corrigan <chris at chriscorrigan.com> wrote:
> Harrison:
>
> Even in the vast Open Spaces within which we work, there is really a tiny
> closed space upon which we work.  The earth is a closed system, for the
most
> part, and no amount of useful material or help from outside is forthcoming
> to save us from ourselves.
>
> And so, the answers as always, are to open more space within, because
unless
> we seek some radical transformation in our ways of doing things, scenarios
> like this may well come to pass.  And if they do...
>
> Some of us, including some of us here on the list like Ralph Copleman,
Peggy
> Holman and John Engle, have been talking about seeing Open Space and other
> dialogue and deliberation processes as essential tools for dealing with
> massive crises brought about by climate change or catastrophes.  I have
> personally spoken with David Korten, the author of a several pieces on "
The
> Perfect Economic Storm" (collapse of the US$, climate change and peak oil
> happening at the same time) and he's a big supporter of much much deeper
> engagement of people in local communities in first preventing these kinds
of
> scenarios, and later on, dealing with them well.  I've written more about
> this at my weblog.
>
> I think, as Katrina and the Asian tsunami has taught us, dealing with
large
> scale and sudden change demands wise action.  In Sri Lanka, a group called
> Sarvodaya, who make community empowerment their spiritual practice, were
> first on the ground with support and logistics after the tsunami because
> they make a practice of doing this kind of work.  Michael Herman's recent
> posting on his weblog points to a group of Nepalese leaders who are doing
> the same in the face of a civil war.
>
> The world has much need of those who make engagement, collaboration,
> empowerment and facilitation a regular practice.  When the skills are
really
> needed, there will be no time to learn them.
>
> We could certainly raise the alarm, but my inclination is to work in two
> areas on activity: try my best NOT to be a part of the problem, and keep
> myself prepared for the problems that may find us nonetheless.
>
> Chris
>
> --
>
> CHRIS CORRIGAN
> Consultation - Facilitation
> Open Space Technology
>
> Weblog: http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot
> Site: http://www.chriscorrigan.com * *
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--

Michael Herman
Michael Herman Associates
300 West North Ave #1105
Chicago IL 60610 USA
Phone: 312-280-7838
michael at michaelherman.com

skype: globalchicago

http://www.michaelherman.com
http://www.openspaceworld.org

Executive Facilitation ...getting
the most important things done in
the easiest possible ways.

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