[OSList] I am fresh In the os community

[Patricia Haines]

This is really beautiful - thank you Harrison.

Speaking of the Dance, a reminder: on September 21st folks around the world
will join together in a simple prayer for Peace and then DANCE, for joy and
solidarity, all at the same time. EARTHDANCE can rock the planet: 7 pm
Eastern Standard Time or its equivalent globally (
earthdanceinternational.org). Everyone invited!

- fostering just & sustainable community through campus/community
collaborations in hospitality, education &  the arts, in the democratic
spirit of the Danish Folk School (607) 339-9472
On Sep 8, 2013 12:14 PM, "Harrison Owen" <hhowen at verizon.net> wrote:

> Salwa – Thank you so much for your posting. The pain (your pain) is
> palpable. Your searching is inspiring. Above all, what you have written is
> a salient and powerful reminder of the full scope of the tumultuous,
> transforming world in which we all live. We would prefer something more
> stable and predictable, a world in which the problems and issues that we
> face are amenable to quick-fix solutions – a “right” process here or the
> insights proclaimed by “Thought Leaders,” those supposed experts on life.
> That world, unfortunately, does not exist, and never has. ****
>
> ** **
>
> The reality is the ongoing flow of Chaos ... breaking the established
> order, clearing the ground to make way for New Order to emerge. It is the
> dance of creation and destruction which takes place at all levels and
> scales of our experience. There are moments, such as now, when the great
> tectonic plates of our world slam together, swallowing mountains and
> building new ones. The ground shakes and burns. It is a time of ending,
> pain and terror. But it is also the time of renewal – at least that has
> been the story to date.****
>
> ** **
>
> Understandably we do everything in our power to resist the powerful forces
> around us. Perhaps we could return to the apparently stable and predictable
> world we once knew? To be sure there were imperfections, but we knew what
> they were. Maybe we did have a Dictator, but he was “our” Dictator.
> Understandable, but futile. And truth to tell, to the extent that we
> actually succeed in slowing the flow, we only insure that the forces will
> build until they explode again with magnified violence. ****
>
> ** **
>
> If return is impossible, then at the very least we might identify the
> guilty parties – those misguided folks who got us into all this mess. You
> mention the Media and there are a myriad possible candidates. But the truth
> of the matter ... We are all responsible, including those of us who sit in
> apparent safety for the moment. And – curiously – none of us are
> responsible, for what is occurring in our midst is so much bigger than some
> misguided ideology, questionable political judgment, or professional
> malfeasance. It is simply and profoundly Life moving on. And although it
> may come as a blow to our collective egos – we are a very small and
> inconsequential part of that Life, only lately arrived on the scene.****
>
> ** **
>
> Now – What about Open Space? What on earth could that funny little process
> have to do with the cataclysmic events of the moment? A lot, I think – but
> probably not the sorts of things we might wish for...****
>
> ** **
>
> Open Space will not render order out of the chaos. Open Space will not
> eliminate the pain we experience because of the chaos. Open Space will not
> solve the multiple problems, major and minor, that have manifest in the
> moment: the hostility, the aggression, the fractures in communications, the
> madness of men and nations. Above all, Open Space will not provide the
> ordered steps to regaining our sense of control. In a word, Open Space
> won’t fix it! The reason is simple – There is nothing to fix. Life is just
> doing Life... performing the great cosmic dance between Chaos and Order as
> it has from the beginning. We, however, may join the dance as willing, and
> eventually, skilled partners. The gift of Open Space is to offer the
> invitation and provide the opportunity for practice. The dance itself,
> however, is not ours to design or control, and attempting to do either is
> to compound our pain and frustration.  ****
>
> ** **
>
> The invitation of Open Space is a simple one: To join the Dance of Life.
> We may enter  through any one of an infinite number of doorways, all
> sharing a common feature – We Care. We care about many things, and each one
> of us may care about something different. But all doorways lead to a common
> space, which we might call a Community of Caring. Once there the Dance may
> begin for us. Or more exactly we may join the Dance which has been underway
> for a long, long time. Curiously, we do not have to learn the dance. It is
> all about remembering what we already know, albeit our memory may be more
> than a little foggy, and our initial steps a little shaky – but everything
> does come rushing back if we just take a deep breath and let it happen. No
> training required, no instruction necessary.****
>
> ** **
>
> It is true, we do have 5 Principles and 1 Law. But they are there to help
> us remember what we already know – and not to tell us what to do. In fact
> both the principles and the law are descriptive and not prescriptive. They
> represent a simple summary of the common experience of being in Open Space.
> They can be helpful for new comers (and old timers) as gentle reminders of
> what will likely happen...even if the law and the principles are never
> mentioned. It is not a question of right or wrong, correct or incorrect,
> moral or the opposite. It is just “What is,” so far as we have been able to
> see. ****
>
> ** **
>
> So my friend, thanks for sharing, and Enjoy the Dance. It is the only one
> we have got. To be sure, things do get interesting, to say nothing of scary
> and stressful. And when that happens, take a deep breath and Dance on.
> Don’t forget, you have a lot of partners – US.****
>
> ** **
>
> 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 <http://www.openspaceworld.com%20> ****
>
> www.ho-image.com <http://www.ho-image.com%20> (Personal Website)****
>
> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of
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> ** **
>
> *From:* oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org [
> mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org<oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org>]
> *On Behalf Of *sos1910
> *Sent:* Saturday, September 07, 2013 2:10 AM
> *To:* OSList at lists.openspacetech.org
> *Subject:* [OSList] I am fresh In the os community****
>
> ** **
>
> My name is Salwa alsukhon...I am still fresh In the OS community and
> humbled by you all experts out there. So if I sound too naiive or fresh on
> thoughts or approaches I'm reliefed that the OS community out of all
> communities will take me in and allow me some space.  ****
>
> ** **
>
>  I come from Jordan in the Middle East. A small country trying hardly to
> survive amongst the turmoil you hear about in the media...we are the last
> little piece of land in our area that is blessed with some security so
> far...we are apprehensive and on our toes all the time of what is coming
> next...****
>
> ** **
>
> We received our family and brotbers and sisters in the past and still do
> from Palestine, Iraq, Yemen and Libya. We are now homing the terrified
> syrian people,we do it with love,regardless of media claims,because we are
> all one big family and we don't mind sharing our meagre resources with them
> with regards to space, food, water...etc. The biggest issue here is:what is
> the media doing to us...****
>
> ** **
>
> I read your posts about a hero's journey and about journalism and the
> california event and if I may I have a message to send and again please
> pardon my naiivty if I sound so: we are having tens of heros and hundrereds
> of victims in Egypt in Syria in yeman in tunisia in libya...I implore the
> journalists and the media to open space for the Arab world. One of the
> reason for this turmoil and hell we are living in:THE MEDIA.****
>
> ** **
>
> They are running the war more than leaders. We do not know anymore what is
> true and what is fabricated. People dont know why they are being killed and
> killers do not really know why they are killing,truths and facts are being
> twisted with one result each time...a morbid carnage festival, we are
> suffering,people are not only losing their lives or their homes or even
> their countries, those of us who still survive are losing their hopes and
> dreams.  ****
>
> It is all destruction and death around us, an abyss of horror that has no
> visible end...****
>
> ** **
>
> I implore the media again to help us and not use us anymore to record
> breaking news and hit interviews or aspire for awards on documentaries or
> whatever...we are people like them too, we have families we had dreams, the
> so called arab spring has turned Into a waste land with ghosts of murdered
> children and bombarded homes....a carnage festival where death machines
> running the scene....open space for us...cut us some slack, we are nations
> of terrorists that must be oblitrated from the face of earth. ****
>
> ** **
>
> I was blessed last March to moderate an open space conference in Jordan
> for palestinian  refugee women****
>
> that hosted refugees from Jordan,Palestine, Gaza and Lebanon. It was a
> unique experience not only for the participants but also for me as I
> discovered things in me I never thought of...the question I keep asking
> myself now: is it right for me and the world to apply the law of the
> 2feet?what is meant to happen will happen? Is it moral? Or are we
> butterflies and bumblebies? The irony and danger of the other  question:
> will the majority of the arab world turn into refugees? It will be great
> for business minds who think of more conferences and initiatives...etc. But
> then when the media and the international community lose their moral
> compass....is there anything else that is worth our while?****
>
> ** **
>
> Salwa****
>
> Sent from Samsung Mobile****
>
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