[OSList] OSONOS Whenever, Wherever, with Whomsoever

Wed Oct 24 14:39:48 PDT 2012

Lisa - Never for a moment would I challenge your title as Access Queen, to
which we might add a new one - "Hostess with the Mostest!" Bravo! Well done.
and.

There are also other possible styles and modes of operation. Mine for
instance. My choice is almost inevitably to do less, as little as possible,
or indeed nothing at all. All under the heading of "One more thing not to
do." In frivolous moments I tend to explain my behavior as laziness, but
truthfully there really is some thought here. Over the years I have
discovered that the less I do, the better things seem to turn out. The
secret seems to be that my "out front doing" takes up a lot of space and
even when that doing is done with the best of intentions - it inevitably
deprives other people of the opportunity. They might just feel, Oh well,
Harrison will take care of it, or even worse my "doing" becomes a
threatening standard and not terribly far from "The Right Way." Should we
reach that awful endpoint, we are uncomfortably close to the Kingdom of the
Great THEY. THEY are in power, and I (poor me) have no place here, nor any
responsibility.  For me it is an old truth, If I empower you, you are in my
power. Lose/Lose. 

Doing Nothing, however needs to be balanced with Being More, I think. My
hope and intention (realized only occasionally, I admit) is to Be in a way
that space/time is truly open and inviting. My invitation is for each person
I meet to be fully themselves, brilliant or warty as that may be.
Occasionally this is a matter of words spoken, but somehow much more subtle.
Truthfully I really can't say what "it" is --  but I definitely know "it"
when we meet. And I do have an idea as to how I get to that place. Call it
clearing, focus, intention, whatever, but I find myself in a quiet open
space which is rich with potential and welcoming to the rich diversity of my
fellows. Fun stuff!

Open Space Technology has been my playground, practice, and teacher about a
lot of things, but mostly about the wonder of this self organizing world. I
have been interested in (fascinated by) self organization ever since. My
dissertation in 1965 could have been sub-titled, "Chaos, Order and the
Creative Process." But all of that was pretty much of an intellectual
endeavor. Then along came Open Space. My intellectual games became my
existential reality. I found myself living intentionally in this self
organizing world, the only one we have got. And with the passage of time I
learned, sometimes very painfully, about being deeply and effectively in
that environment to the end that I might be fully myself, and of equal
importance, somehow to enable (encourage, facilitate, challenge, etc) others
to enjoy the same experience. What began as a funny attempt to have better
meetings became a pathway to extraordinary human performance, and genuine
peace. Things to cherish, and things to share -- and you really can't do one
without the other. To share something you don't cherish is pretty sick, and
to cherish something you won't share creates a very small world. And
curiously enough, the corner stone of everything for me was Not Doing.

I guess all of this has become rather personal to say nothing of esoteric,
but there are some practical implications and applications, I think.

First - Open Space (as in OST) is free and always has been. After all it
belongs to everybody as a birthright. Second - Anybody can do it. The simple
truth of the matter is that we all (7.5 billion of us) do it except that
some people don't recognize this and are therefore less comfortable and
effective. Third - Helping people find their time/space is less about what
we do than how we are. After all we are not teaching them anything new, we
are merely helping them to remember what they already know. And remembering,
in the last analysis, is something you have to do for yourself. I like to
think of my several books as a jog to the memory.J

Last but not least, Lisa - to your special concerns of INCLUSION and
DIVERSITY. And lest you have any doubts, they are my concerns as well. I
find that diverse (different) peoples will include themselves when they
perceive an attractive, productive, welcoming space. As a matter of fact, it
is very hard to keep them out, even if you tried. I think we see this in
small ways in every Open Space when total strangers show up, as happened in
London. Personally I noticed this first (in reverse, as it were) when
visiting small, isolated bush villages in West Africa. I would show up as
the only white man most of the children had ever seen - and be enfolded in a
warm welcome. Not showy, and definitely not verbal (I couldn't understand a
word) but there was space for me. Welcoming the stranger was a way of life.

I think something like this happens just about every time we open space.
Think of the security guards in London. They had their roles, and positions
(at the door), but they got sucked in. And they will remember. They will
tell their friends. And I wouldn't be at all surprised if someday "we"
didn't see them again somewhere.

But.you might say we could have done more. Of course. And the "more" that
you do is marvelous. It can also be a little fatiguing. For a single event,
even 20 of them in succession (Thank you Phelim and D&D) you can go the
distance, but how about the global enterprise? There are 7.5 billion
different people out there all living in open space, and just about
everybody could use a hand. Organizing something like that, one event at a
time, boggles the mind and breaks the back. At least my back. And what about
an alternative?

I think that alternative might look pretty much like what we are (and have
been) doing. Open space, wherever, however, whenever, with whomsoever, about
whatever.Let some light shine in and out. Inside the "participants" will
bask in the glow (they always do). And outside, the strangers will see  --
not so much what we "do" which really may look weird - but most importantly
how we are. They may come in then, or later, or not at all. But over time,
and around the world, it is just amazing how many people have shown up!

If you look at any single gathering (London for example) - the skin color
might have been darker. There might have been different people. But it was
what it was, what it was. And wasn't it wonderful! And also somehow limited.
However, if you think of London as a momentary "piercing of the veil,"
revealing those particular people at that particular time fully being
themselves, and enjoying it (most of the time) - as a snapshot of a global
experience involving millions of people in hundreds of thousands of similar
gatherings, each person different as different can be: Tibetan Monks, IBM
Executives, Israeli Kibbutzim, Egyptian activists, African villagers,
Haitian teachers, Boeing Engineers, Radical feminists, Roman Catholic Nuns,
UN Human Rights Staff, Columbian Government folks and FARC, Microsoft
Engineers, and on and on and on. On through the manifold diverse wonder of
humanity. I don't think it has gone all that badly, especially since we
never had a plan.

I love you Lisa. Just keep on keep'in on. Somehow it is all working out. And
what about the final reel? Show ain't over yet. Keep tuned!

ho

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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From: oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org
[mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Lisa Heft
Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2012 4:04 PM
To: World wide Open Space Technology email list
Subject: Re: [OSList] OSONOS Whenever, Wherever, with Whomsoever

Well this invites a very interesting conversation.

I get that, Harrison - and...

At the end of the OSonOS by the Sea and at some other OS events I have
participated in in Closing Circle someone usually says 'this was great and
gee I wonder where all the ___(for example, young people, or the military)__
were?' 

And I was guessing they were not there because we did not do extra to help
those not-usual-suspects get there - for the beauty of diversity.

So 'whoever comes' is in some cases whoever has email access, whoever can
afford travel, whoever is already part of the 'in group's information
stream, whoever knows how to navigate finding low-cost housing in a
community that is not their home region.

The wonderful Jorge Amigo (hola Jorge!) and I have had several passionate
conversations about this - and I am guessing that different colleagues here
on the list feel both ways or one way or are experimenting with their
feelings about...

If I (an individual or a host team) really loves the work of doing 'one more
thing' to help people with visas, low-cost housing, and so on - aren't we
just individuals following what has heart and meaning?

If I (an individual or a host team) think it might bring in diversity to
arrange for home-stays and help people find room-mates in their preparation
for the event - are we doing that open-space-or-otherwise pre-work to
welcome diversity (beyond saying 'welcome everyone') - or are we taking away
individuals' ability to do for themselves?

And what are the results and affects of doing one or the other on our living
system of potential and actual participants?

Is doing these sorts of things respect for individuals - providing them with
an ally, information tailored to their abilities / questions / capacities /
requests - or is it disrespecting their capacity for doing for themselves?

What is 'doing for' -- and what is doing acts of ongoing invitation through
action? (you can see my bias ;o)

What is taking responsibility for yourself to start - and what is my role -
my co-responsibility - in caring for community, including those who are not
the 'usual suspects'?

I totally believe in 'each one help one'. And yet I know that as a majority
culture person (take for example someone who knows how to travel to new
places or knows I want to bring a laptop if I want to help emergent
documentation in an Open Space event - or somebody who knows other people
who are coming to the event so I can ask questions on the side about where
they are staying) - being in majority culture gives me an opportunity - no,
actually, for me, a mandate - to help make visible resources and
relationships and information and access to others who may not have my same
capacities, abilities and culture.  To me, 'whoever comes' invites a 'how
are you as host making it possible for more 'whoevers' not like the usual
group to also say 'my place is there too, I am coming too'?

I am not saying everyone has to do that - I am saying that is what I love
doing, cannot help but do, am interested in exploring, and invite my clients
to do. 

As usual - we do what we have passion and capacity for - and as usual, we
wonderfully all see things in different ways, including what is helping and
what is 'overly help-y'. A very fine line indeed, and differently
experienced by all of us.

Fun stuff to explore...

Lisa

On Oct 23, 2012, at 12:38 PM, Harrison Owen wrote:

Lots of good points Lisa - and maybe some solutions? Venue costs - Can be
considerable, of course. Can be very expensive if you only think of hotels
and other such things. But Churches usually only need their space on
Sundays. Else wise they might appreciate some small (or larger) donation.
And for a "good cause" maybe free? Likewise, schools work on the week, but
weekends are free. Common spaces - like a tent on the common green. We did
it for the price of the tent. It wasn't gorgeous, but definitely fun.
Nothing but the forest. Could get wet in the rain, which can be more fun.

Housing? At the Pullman Versailles, the bill goes up. But off season resorts
get very reasonable. And have variety of Bed Spots. Camp Grounds, for
instance.

I know that the reason a lot of people do not feel the need to host one is -
hosting something is usually not about the really amazing holding space
moments - most of the work is about event planning.

Getting a room, paying money for it in advance, answering everyone's emails
behind the scenes, really dry and to some, really tedious details of party
planning that are not joyful for all kinds of people.

Oh Answering emails - I guess that is rather like talking on OSLIST? I
always found it that way. Actually the problems arise when you place
yourself in the "Do-For" mode. I just offer the information and invite them
to Do-For themselves. Or maybe to reach out to other participants? - Chain
email (reply all) sort of thing. Next thing you know space is open way
before anybody comes to town. Take responsibility for yourself to start,
then reach out to help your fellows. That's how community emerges, I think.
Each one help one. It ain't all me folks.

ho

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