[OSList] Two Martinis

[Harrison Owen]

This pub is getting seriously busy and delightfully noisy. And fortunately
it is sufficiently international to stock some good British Gin - which I am
enjoying in my "usual." Maybe I've had too many "usuals" but it did occur to
me that if somebody had certified me 28 years ago as I was sitting on my
patio enjoying two of the same, we might have avoided a lot interesting,
wonderful trouble. 

 

Over at Eiwor's table I catch a snippet ... " I would even dare to say that
the prework and the discussion there is what opens the space. What I do at
the beginning of an OST meeting is ritual, also important but still ritual."
Marvelous! And my experience is somehow the opposite, or at least something
like that. Truth to tell, most of the spaces I have been privileged to open
in the last dozen years were prefaced with a brief conversation which
usually went something like: Harrison, our organization is dysfunctional and
demoralized. Can you help? My response was, "Sure." Or if I was feeling
particularly conversational I could say - I can't help, but you can help
yourselves if you have the time and space. And I can help you find that. We
might then go on to talk about logistics and the fact that this gathering
must be Voluntary Self Selection, a free assembly of those who care. All of
them!

 

To be honest there is sometimes some skepticism, one might say resistance to
this condition. If it were really voluntary, nobody would come! When I hear
something like this I reply that perhaps they need to think of some other
way to deal with their afflictions ... but if they run out of options, call
me back. Open Space is not rocket science, and it can happen any time they
are ready to go. But it begins with a REAL invitation... 

 

It has been something of a shock to my self esteem as facilitator and
consultant, but in general the quality and impact of the Open Spaces of my
experience has been inversely proportional to the amount of time and effort
I expended before and after. Mine was an incidental passage, and the faster
I got out of the way, the better everything went. "One more thing Not to do"
not only minimizes work (mine) but (perversely) maximizes impact. Strange.

 

And then there is the Opening - that 15 minutes of circle walking and a few
comments. On the face of it, those few actions and words seem
inconsequential and strange. And yet what happens over the course of that
brief time period is remarkable, by virtually any standard. A group of
people, and sometimes a very large group of people, move from bovine
placidity, aggressive hostility, or bemused curiosity into concerted action.
They never look back, and it has always "worked." The scene becomes even
more remarkable in those situations (my common experience) where prior
contact and preparation has been minimal to non-existent. Some serious
forces are at play and somehow, someway we have a part to play. Humbling and
awesome. At least it is to me every time. Without fail. And it really flies
when I get out of the way.

 

Well the Pub surely is bubbling tonight - and thanks Eiwor for the stimulus
to reflection! 

 

Harrison

 





 

Harrison Owen

7808 River Falls Dr.

Potomac, MD 20854

USA

 

189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)

Camden, Maine 04843

 

Phone 301-365-2093

(summer)  207-763-3261

 

www.openspaceworld.com 

www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)

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