[OSList] Crossing borders -- Coming to the circle -- Update

Tue Nov 8 14:53:05 PST 2011

I have just watched Tova's and Carol's very moving, very eloquent, spirited
talks back to back (that is: side by side? face to face?) and could feel as
if I were there in Jaffa.

I think about the good luck of meeting Tova and Carol and their colleague
Avner in 2003, when the three of them came with other colleagues from
around the world to participate in the Practice of Peace here, to share
powerful, difficult, stories about opening space in areas of conflict.

Compared to then, the work is still very challenging, with no guarantee of
anything, but now it seems like the long and devoted effort of opening the
space in very hard, rocky, closed-up places has contributed to liberating a
lot of fertility and creativity and aliveness (1000 tables of conversation
in Tel Aviv and all over Israel! Israelis and Palestinians visiting each
others' homes, let alone their towns!)

And I am struck by the fact that Tova and Carol are both so eloquent and
poetic in English, which is not either of their first languages - their
fluency is an embodied aspect of the theme of this TEDxJaffa, "Desire To
Know the Other" - the willingness to do the work necessary to speak the
language of another embodies the desire to know the other. Last week,
Seattle Arts and Lectures presented an evening with three translators of
poetry. One of them, Peter Cole, is an American who translates Arabic and
Hebrew poetry into English, and he said that a good translation of a poem,
which can seem impossible, is "a difference that embodies a likeness".

Thank you, Carol and Tova, for sharing your work and what you are learning,
and for your beautiful differences which embody such deep likeness,
openness, willingness, and love.

Christy

Christy Lee-Engel, ND, LAc
*Please visit my new private practice location, Core Chiropractic and
Wellness <http://corechiropracticseattle.com>*
Director, Bastyr University Center for Spirituality, Science, and
Medicine<http://cssm.bastyr.edu>
My cache of inspirations and
reflections<http://lifecultivatinglife.posterous.com>
206.399.0868
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 Matter is spirit moving slowly enough to be seen. - Pierre Teilhard de
Chardin

*

On Sun, Nov 6, 2011 at 5:20 AM, Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net> wrote:

> Turns out I was right – Carol was speaking at the same conference with
> Tova. It also turns out, Tova tells me, that Carol had been asked to
> organize the conference and invited Tova. Wheels within wheels – or
> something. If you haven’t listened to Carol’s talk, I urge you to do so.
> There is absolutely no mention of Open Space Technology – but her language
> is familiar, and straight from the Open Space experience that I know she
> has had. For me this is wonderful – and if nothing else – a demonstration
> of the 5th Principle at work. “Wherever it happens is the right place.”
> Over the last 10 years Carol has been opening space all over the Middle
> East, sometimes in the form that we would all recognize as OST, and
> doubtless more times where that is not the case, but space was opened for
> different and differing people. They were invited to come to the circle if
> they cared to come -- no questions asked. Those aren’t quite Carol’s words,
> but close and I love them.****
>
> ** **
>
> Many years ago, somebody asked me what my vision for OST might be. I said
> I hoped it might just disappear as a special thing because it had become
> such a part of our lives that it needed no special name. It was just what
> we did. ****
>
> ** **
>
> Harrison****
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> Harrison Owen****
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> *From:* oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org [mailto:
> oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] *On Behalf Of *Harrison Owen
> *Sent:* Thursday, November 03, 2011 3:38 PM
> *To:* 'World wide Open Space Technology email list'
> *Subject:* [OSList] Crossing borders -- Coming to the circle****
>
> ** **
>
> Carol Kasbari is a Palestinian, an old friend and “Open Spacer.” I first
> met her in Israel while doing a program with Tova. Carol was very young and
> afraid. The 2nd Infatada had broken out and a suicide bombing had just
> occurred in the city and as we did our program at a mountain retreat
> overlooking the road to Jerusalem. We could see the ambulances moving
> along. Suddenly Carol’s phone rang. It was her husband, Osama, and he was
> right in the middle of things. You could feel Carol’s terror. Our program
> went on. Mostly Open Space. At the end Carol came to me with the most
> elegant thank you I think I have ever received. She said, “You have
> reborned my hope.” Since that time, Carol has been doing many things
> including opening space for many people. Her TED talk (at the same
> conference Tova spoke to, I think) is powerful, to say the least. Once
> again she brought tears to my eyes (seems to happen a lot) – and it is
> clear that her hope is alive and well. Listen for yourself.****
>
> ** **
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWiZMXEK_E8&feature=youtu.be ****
>
> ** **
>
> Harrison****
>
> ** **
>
> Harrison Owen****
>
> 7808 River Falls Dr.****
>
> Potomac, MD 20854****
>
> USA****
>
> ** **
>
> 189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)****
>
> Camden, Maine 20854****
>
> ** **
>
> Phone 301-365-2093****
>
> (summer)  207-763-3261****
>
> ** **
>
> www.openspaceworld.com****
>
> www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)****
>
>
> **
>
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