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Chris wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>Maybe it's me (Harrison might think
so...he once described the aversion<br>
to voting as "Canadian.")<br><br>
Another thing that bugs me about voting is that it says "wasn't
that<br>
Open Space thing interesting? Okay, let's get back to
reality..." In<br>
other words, it doesn't model the new reality, but reinforces the
old<br>
one. I have had people express exactly this disappointment to
me. They<br>
have said "Oh rats...we were really starting to get
somewhere..."<br><br>
And this "getting somewhere..." Doesn't that echo John's
notion of<br>
democracy as a journey? I don't think that democracy IS voting, nor
do<br>
I think that voting in and of itself is democracy. To reduce one to
the<br>
other removes the role and responsibilities of the citizen to act
and<br>
improve the system. Perhaps real democracy invites this
action. Voting<br>
is just a way to see what's popular.<br><br>
So OST is "democratic" if it invites folks to be citizens,
encourages<br>
them to use their feet, and provides a way for outcomes to unfold<br>
without domination from powerful interests.</blockquote><br>
Actually, I would argue that people always vote, it is only a question of
how they do it. The simple truth of the matter is that some issues have
more energy than others. Doesn't make the others bad -- just not so
pertinent at that moment. The procedure I use is balloting, and I make it
very clear that it is not a political win/lose -- just an expression of
energy. Never seemed to have a problem. <br><br>
Harrison<br><br>
<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>Harrison Owen</blockquote>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<div align="center">7808 River Falls Drive<br>
Potomac, MD 20854 USA<br>
phone 301-365-2093<br>
Open Space Training
<a href="http://www.openspaceworld.com/" eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.com</a>
<br>
Open Space Institute <a href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/" eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.org</a><br>
Personal website <a href="http://www.mindspring.com/~owenhh" eudora="autourl">www.mindspring.com\~owenhh</a><br><br>
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