[OSList] I am fresh In the os community

Mon Sep 9 13:01:08 PDT 2013

Thank you Peggy and I take this opportunity to say that I had struggled
then whether to post or not, to write or not, because I did not want to hog
this wonderful space.  I am so glad I did because of Salwa's message and
the wise, soul deep replies that it spawned.  When I first joined this list
4 years ago, fresh on the OS list, I was so totally scared and I forced
myself from my "beginner's mind" to speak and share. I knew then as I know
now that this community and this thing, this process, this Open Space which
is neither of those words, was so precious, so amazing and so real beyond
anything I could describe. I just had to jump in and I did.

Like Salwa, I felt humbled and certainly intimidated by the great wisdom in
others that I did not see in myself. I cannot live what Salwa is living or
what others are living but maybe when we share, I can feel myself walking
in their shoes a bit and they will feel my (our) heart and support.

Now perhaps by being vulnerable, honest and transparent again, admitting my
reluctance to write or post,  it will invite others to share because the
world needs our voices and the great wisdom we each have, especially now as
we wrestle with these big issues of life. It is not the answers we have
that determine the path, it's those uncertainties, those questions, and
those deep feelings and passion that invite the wonderful explorations that
brings bit of joy, possible solutions, comfort and inspiration.

I end here by mentioning Alan Stewart's wonderful little book which has
been on my mind a lot these days. Time to Converse
<http://www.amazon.com/Time-converse-Heart-Warmth-ebook/dp/B00CYB8CD0/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1378756284&sr=1-2&keywords=the+time+to+converse>.
Alan is one of the doyens of Open Space, now living in Australia and in so
many ways, his book is the embodiment of Open Space at its roots, reminding
us that in the simple act of conversation, something that is available to
us all the time everywhere, we can open beautiful space for peace, for love
and understanding.  So whether our conversations are via the written words
exchanged here or in an oral form with neighbors, friends and those around
us or in silence, may we not hold back, may we engage more fully, may we be
the journalists of the life we are living.

Suzanne

Perhaps we will feel criticized, less or not enough

On Mon, Sep 9, 2013 at 1:37 PM, Peggy Holman <peggy at peggyholman.com> wrote:

> I am touched by the rich flow that resulted from Salwa's response to
> Suzanne posting my article on what do we need from journalism.
>
> I haven't much to add to the wise counsel already shared.
>
> As Suzanne said, Salwa, you have been a journalist for us.  Your message
> inspired me to send your email to three professional journalists.  I don't
> know if any of them will see a story they wish to pursue but I sure thought
> it worth try.
>
> appreciatively,
> Peggy
>
>
>
>
> __________________________________
> Peggy Holman
> Journalism that Matters
> 15347 SE 49th Place
> Bellevue, WA  98006
> 425-746-6274
> www.journalismthatmatters.org
> www.peggyholman.com
> Twitter: @peggyholman
> JTM Twitter: @JTMStream
>
> *Enjoy the award winning* Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into
> Opportunity <http://peggyholman.com/papers/engaging-emergence/>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Sep 9, 2013, at 5:21 AM, Patricia Haines <levelgreen2010 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> 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
>> OSLIST Go to:
>> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org****
>>
>> ** **
>>
>> *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****
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> OSList mailing list
>> To post send emails to OSList at lists.openspacetech.org
>> To unsubscribe send an email to OSList-leave at lists.openspacetech.org
>> To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
>> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
>>
>> _______________________________________________
> OSList mailing list
> To post send emails to OSList at lists.openspacetech.org
> To unsubscribe send an email to OSList-leave at lists.openspacetech.org
> To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> OSList mailing list
> To post send emails to OSList at lists.openspacetech.org
> To unsubscribe send an email to OSList-leave at lists.openspacetech.org
> To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
>
>

-- 
Suzanne Daigle
NuFocus Strategic Group
7159 Victoria Circle
University Park, FL 34201
FL 941-359-8877;
CT 203-722-2009
www.nufocusgroup.com
s.daigle at nufocusgroup.com
twitter @suzannedaigle
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.openspacetech.org/pipermail/oslist-openspacetech.org/attachments/20130909/5f848356/attachment-0008.htm>