[OSList] Why I Actually Like Calling it "The Law of Two Feet"

[Michael M Pannwitz]

Dear Phelim,
mulling over your wise words I remember the way I introduce the LAW
"You honor a group with your absence when you neither learn nor 
contribute. If you learn, stay. If you can contribute, stay. But when 
neither / nor, look for a more productive place for yourself".
In the future I might add something like this
"With your first step away from the group you honor the group and with 
your second step toward a nap or another issue or something similarily 
productive for yourself you honor yourself".
Shit, got to rewrite my book!
cheers
mmp

On 21.10.2011 23:19, Phelim wrote:
>
> In open space technology there is only one law. It’s know as “The Law of
> Two Feet” Some people don’t like calling it this and it is objected to
> on the grounds of diversity/disability issues. So it gets re-christened
> “The law of mobility”. However, I think it’s a very useful metaphor and
> as such think all should have access to it. However that’s not what I
> want to talk about today.
>
> Sometimes people concentrate on “The law of two feet.” as being about
> leaving somewhere: it might be a session, a person who is dominating a
> conversation, a topic that goes off somewhere you are no longer
> interested in, all these are things one might want to move away from.
>
> However it’s good to remember it’s a law of TWO feet. Let’s say the
> first foot or step is away from. Then the second step in terms of our
> metaphor could be what we are moving towards. If the emphasis is just on
> the first step the potential energy or even an awareness of the second
> step can get overwhelmed. Veiled in issues of possibility or social
> politeness.
>
> So remember both aspects of the Law: “away from” but also “towards”.
> Where have you already taken yourself or your mind? Where inside
> yourself have you already taken your next step somewhere else?
>
> This is a useful thing to remember not least because it might support
> you over the threshold of your imagined impoliteness or arrogance when
> you find yourself worrying about the fact that you are leaving somewhere
> and being rude.
>
> Maybe if you focus on where you are going to or where your presence has
> gone.. Then you could realise it might be rude to have already left a
> less than present self amongst the group. Or perhaps it’s even arrogant
> to assume people will even notice that you left.
>
> So whether you are attending to “The Law of Two Feet” or “The Law of
> Mobility: Focus on the TWO feet of the dynamic and as Hal and Sidra
> Stone say “Sweat the choice”.
>
>
>
> Love Phelim
>
> http://www.tumblr.com/tumblelog/clusterform
>
>
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-- 
Michael M Pannwitz, boscop eg
Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin, Germany
++49-30-772 8000
mmpanne at boscop.org	www.boscop.org


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