Whatever happens....

Thu Jul 24 13:10:04 PDT 2008

Dear Ashley,
to me the principles are perhaps principles and certainly not rules or 
as Harrison says, prescriptions. Thus, as far as I am concerned there is 
no "set of rules". Of course, the Law is different, it really is a Law 
and I wish I had a surefire way of enforcing it!! So, maybe its not a 
Law even but just an invitation.
But what often are called "the principles" are not really principles and 
perhaps also not invitations. So what on earth are they. I have taken to 
call them "facts of life". The way I ran into that "category" is by 
discovering (or being told about) folk sayings for them, espcially for 
"Whatever..". Having been cast into "sayings" by our ancestors suggests 
that they are in fact "facts of life".
In German there are probably dozens of "sayings" for "Whatever...", 
different ones for different regions and dialects. The best known by all 
Germans is
"Wenn das Wörtchen Wenn nicht wär, wär mein Vater Millionär"
these sayings are often in Rhyme form.
In English it would be something like
"If it were not for the little word if, my father would be a millionär"
A more direct and juicy variety is
"Wenn der Hund nicht geschissen hätte, hätte er den Has gefangen"
In English something like
"If the dog had not stopped to take a shit he would have caught the 
rabbit" (Actually, I am not sure its German because Jo Töpfer taught me 
that one and he is heavily infected with Russian).
A more philosophical version, maybe one of the Germans in SF can try a 
translation is
"Der Wenn und der Hät, hän no nie etwas gehäbt".

As far as learning from this or that I myself find myself learning from 
what actually happened. Reflecting on what did not happen or should have 
happened or could have happened invariably leads me into speculations. 
That does not enrich me so I imagine its not conducive to my learning 
and I think I have pretty much given up on it...but I do remember what 
fun we had as kids imagining winning in the lottery and what we would do 
with all that money...

Greetings from Berlin
mmp

Harrison Owen wrote:
> Ashley - Unfortunately I am not at OSONOS (wish I were) and I like what you
> wrote. Your thoughts and musings are all to the point, but I am not sure
> that rephrasing the principle will get you where you want to go. I grant you
> that the words could have been more eloquent, to say nothing of grammatical,
> but that is just sort of how they happened. You know - "Whatever happened. .
> ." But the real point, so far as I am concerned, is that this principle (as
> indeed all of them) is descriptive, not prescriptive.  There is no "should"
> present or implied - just an observation of present reality. At least that
> is the way it seemed at the time. Where one goes from there is an open
> question, and a rich one. Hopes and expectations are great, and searching
> for alternative possibilities is obviously a key element of our adaptive
> behavior which lies at the root of our continuing evolution as a person and
> as a people. But unless all that starts from a clear point of grounding in
> the present moment, it seems to me that we can quickly lose our way. It is
> also true that were we to become so infatuated with what "might" take place;
> we may well miss the opportune richness of the moment. So for me it is all
> about a starting place, an invitation to be present. It is also an
> invitation to go deeper into this present moment. For me that has always
> been the jump off place for truly amazing journeys. 
> 
>  
> 
> Harrison
> 
>  
> 
> Harrison Owen
> 
> 7808 River Falls Drive
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> 
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of ashley
> cooper
> Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2008 12:29 PM
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Subject: Whatever happens....
> 
>  
> 
> Hello friends around the world,
> 
> Feeling those gathered in San Francisco, swimming in the hearty open space
> soup, I find a myself pondering a topic I would host if I were there... a
> topic I'd love to have a conversation around. 
> 
> I'm curious about the wording of the principle, "what ever happens is the
> only thing that could have". I know John Engle brought this question up in
> the past http://www.openspaceworld.org/news/2007/05/11/whatever-happens/ and
> I'm still curious about it.
> 
> I find that people sometimes use it as a block to reflection, a reason to
> not look back and learn from what didn't happen because "whatever happens is
> the only thing that could have." Yes, and... 
> 
> I love the principle for the acceptance that it invites. And I struggle with
> it because there is a sense of finality that it also invites (if you want to
> let yourself go there). We did what we did and that's, that. Which is
> true... And...
> 
> I appreciate how in Haiti they are playing with What Happens is what happens
> - learn and move forward. I like the learn and keep moving part.
> 
> Are there other ways that people phrase this principle? How do you invite
> the spirit of acceptance and invitations to be with what is alive and
> happening in the moment, while also inviting reflection and learning from
> what has and has not emerged?
> 
> If anyone at WOSonOS is reading this and you find this conversation
> springing up in your face to face time, please do share your harvest with
> us. I'm contemplating posting a skype session tomorrow morning on this
> topic... and I've not yet been able to commit myself to being inside at the
> computer tomorrow morning!!
> 
> Alive and grateful,
> Ashley
> 
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