[OSList] Opening space in times of crisis

Harrison Owen hhowen at verizon.net
Wed Aug 14 07:09:24 PDT 2013


Oh and I see that Chris has been elevated to a new and higher status J

 

ho

 

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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From: oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org
[mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Harrison Owen
Sent: Wednesday, August 14, 2013 10:06 AM
To: 'World wide Open Space Technology email list'
Subject: [OSList] Opening space in times of crisis

 

Chris Weaver's discussion of the Hot-Pot in North Carolina occasioned my
question about why he (they) was delaying. Under the heading of "Strike when
the iron is hot" - I have always found that sooner is better. I learned this
for the first time in South Africa in the '90's. I happened to be in
Capetown several weeks after Mandela was released from prison. The situation
was tense to say the least, and my hostess had heard about, but never seen
an Open Space. The decision was made on a Sunday, the participant list was
overbooked by Wednesday, and on Saturday 100+ folks showed up. I have
written about this gathering before, but suffice it to say that it was deep!
I think it is fair to say that we had all of the "essential preconditions
for Open Space" (Big issue, complexity, conflict etc) and absolutely none of
the essentials of pre-work. Yes, we did have a space (my hostess ran a
hotel), magic markers, masking tape, and flip charts. And one Open Space led
onto multiple others, most of which were facilitated by somebody other than
me. As Lyndon Johnson might have said, "Never sacrifice the possible for the
perfect." And in this case, the possible was perfect - at least I couldn't
imagine how it might have been improved. 

 

On a broader level, I think Chris has pointed to something  really important
when he said, "What I find interesting in the question is an underlying idea
that perhaps the best "pre-work" for Open Space is Open Space.  I am open to
this idea and curious about it.  It reminds me of a tenet I hold about
education in general, which is that education is not preparation for life;
education is life.  (I am also reminded, obliquely, of a quote I recall, I
think by Jean Paul Sartre:  That which prevents you from doing your work has
become your work.)" 

 

I never quite thought of it this way, but in retrospect, I really couldn't
have put it better, and certainly it matches my experience. I learned early
on never try and "sell" Open Space. What happens during the gathering and as
a result is typically so far outside "normal" expectations that nobody would
believe you. Other than saying "be prepared to be surprised" nothing I could
ever say or think of could lay the groundwork for a positive experience. 

 

But afterwards - THERE is a golden teaching learning moment. And in terms
that I am sure Christ will understand and appreciate - that moment is
quintessential Experiential Learning. There is no argument, nor need for
argument. Rather everything shifts into a reflective mode. The questions are
opened... What happened? What have we learned about myself, ourselves and
the human condition? Where do we go from here? Do we want to do that again?
Do we want to do it all the time? Would that be a rich life? Is this just
life? Rich indeed.

 

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)

To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of OSLIST
Go to:
<http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org>
http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org

 

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