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At 06:55 PM 5/28/2003 -0500, ted wrote:<br>
I'm writing now to follow-up on a conversation I had with<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>Michael Herman last week which was
itself a follow-up to a conversation I<br>
had with some peace and justice activists earlier last week. My
experience<br>
in all sorts of anti-war organizing meetings is they are horrible,
boring,<br>
inefficient, etc, just like meetings in other setting where people
attempt<br>
to maintain control. Anyway, a smaller group has come together as a
network of "affinity groups"<br>
where each group is autonomous but sends a representative to the<br>
coordinating meeting. I think this should definitely be done in
open space,<br>
but again, how to propose it in a way that doesn't threaten?
Michael<br>
suggests having a meeting on a different day and time and place and
inviting<br>
everyone from the coordinating meeting as well as the members of all
the<br>
groups (if possible). Any thoughts on how to propose this type of
meeting?<br>
Topic? Invititaion ideas? All thoughts welcome! Thanks
much!<br>
peace,<br>
ted</blockquote><br>
You have definitely hit a tender spot. Somehow the Peace, Love and Light
crowd always seem to demonstrate greater problems with power than almost
any other. In the name of peace, love, reconciliation, and
brotherhood/sisterhood, they create conditions in which very little of
what they seek is in evidence. Give me a bunch of hard nosed engineers
any time. or better -- some good old combat hardened Marines. Piece of
cake! And you are definitely right -- if ever there was a situation that
cried out of Open Space, it is the Peace movement. At a practical level,
a little Open Space would save untold agony, frustration and wasted
effort. And as a bonus, they would actually experience what they are
seeking -- God Love 'em. So how to get there? I think you may be making
it all too difficult. Just do it. Make the offer, explain the possible
(expected) benefits, and let them choose. And give up any attachment to
outcomes. They will choose what they will chose. As an alternative, you
might try to the old strategy -- if they won't invite you to their party,
invite them to yours. Open some space around a theme (for instance)
"Creating a Peaceful Peace Movement," and see who shows
up.<br><br>
Harrison<br><br>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<div align="center">Harrison Owen<br>
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://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm" eudora="autourl"><font color="#0000FF">http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm</a><br><br>
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