The End of Quiet Time

Tue Mar 7 15:06:38 PST 2006

Yup...extrememly practical.  I'm saying the same thing.

It's an on the ground response to what is going on in a big way, nothing
more grounded or practical than opening space when shit happens.

Chris

On 3/7/06, Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net> wrote:
>
> 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
> 7808 River Falls Drive
> Potomac, Maryland 20854
> Phone 301-365-2093
> Skype hhowen
> Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
> Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
> Personal website www.ho-image.com
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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
>
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--

CHRIS CORRIGAN
Consultation - Facilitation
Open Space Technology

Weblog: http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot
Site: http://www.chriscorrigan.com

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