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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><STRONG></STRONG></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><STRONG>Thank you</STRONG> Harrison. You are really
"in flow" this morning: in fact it seems you are way out in front (it being
apparently Sunday morning wherever you are). And thank you Toke, for the
questions! INMO, these deserve to go into the FAQ (lovingly edited
by Chris of course).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Happy Saturday! (or Sunday)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Winston</FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"> ----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=owenhh@mindspring.com href="mailto:owenhh@mindspring.com">Harrison
Owen</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
href="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU">OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> <STRONG><FONT color=#800000
size=4>Sunday, March 10, 2002 7:34 AM</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Open Space -- The Credible
incredible - Thank you for this rich and dynamic dialogue......</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2></FONT><BR></DIV>At 12:04 PM 3/7/2002 +0100, Toke
wrote:<BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite type="cite">Our circle of open space learning
bouncing in its round corners but not breaking - i find that
healthy.<BR> - we have not found the Truth yet - but it would be
wonderful to nail it down so that all our clients and family members etc
would finally understand what we do ??!!</BLOCKQUOTE><BR>I<FONT color=#ff0000>
figure that if anybody ever really understands what we do -- we are in deep
trouble. Our cover will be blown. In my case i try and do as little as I can
decently get away with. When successful, I do absolutely nothing at all. And
for reasons which i have yet to fully understand, sometimes I even get paid.
<BR><BR></FONT>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite type="cite">I hold a few questions now
:<BR><BR>What is the intent of the OST community in the first
place?</BLOCKQUOTE><BR><FONT color=#ff0000>My answer would be to share, learn
and support each other.<BR><BR></FONT>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite type="cite">Where and how does getting started
with OST practice and long time OST experience dance in our midst
?</BLOCKQUOTE><BR><FONT color=#ff0000>I guess it might begin with the
realization that everybody, no matter how many times they have opened space,
are always doing it for the first time with "that" particular group. In a
funny way, every Open Space for me is always the same, and always totally
unique. So we are all newcomers, and should we forget that the arteries of
imagination and learning close up pretty fast.<BR><BR></FONT>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite type="cite">How do we keep inspiring each other
to go for integrity and staying the student ?</BLOCKQUOTE><BR><FONT
color=#ff0000>Probably by keeping on doing what we are doing. A sense of humor
and the absurd also helps.<BR><BR></FONT>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite type="cite">Where is the border line between a
community of practise and a cult who know best?</BLOCKQUOTE><BR><FONT
color=#ff0000>If we ever find the person who knows "best" I guess we would
then qualify for "cult Status." The word cult has always interested me. the
present definition is a worry, but at root it means to "care for" -- So I
guess, being a cult wouldn't be too bad if we could see our selves as a
community that cared. <BR><BR><BR></FONT>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite type="cite">How to trust more than I have
trusted until now ?</BLOCKQUOTE><BR><FONT color=#ff0000>Speaking only for
myself, I find the alternatives to trust so exhausting and self-destructive as
to make them unattractive. We "trust" every time we take a breath that the
incoming air won't kill us. In most cases that's true, and in any case,
stopping breathing does not seem a positive option.<BR><BR></FONT>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite type="cite">How to find the balance between
accomodating clients and inspire to be a more human amateur and
less just professional pawn?</BLOCKQUOTE><BR><FONT color=#ff0000>I'm not
quite clear what you are asking here, but to the extent that I understand, my
thought would be that the real thing is to be clear who the client is, and
further that the client can change in time. For example, when i start
conversation with a group -- my contact person (the CEO-- whatever) is my
client, but should we do an Open Space, my client becomes the whole group. My
mission quite simply is to create the space in which that group can experience
and realize its full potential. Should it turn out that my "original client"
(the CEO) is the major road block, and he/she acts that out by becoming a
Nasty Space Invader, I see no alternative but to protect the space in whatever
way I can. After all I have indicated to the group that the space will be
open, and should it close down suddenly through the actions of a single
person, my integrity is at stake. <BR><BR><BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>