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At 10:22 AM 6/22/2003 +0800,
<tt><font face="Tempus Sans ITC">Brendan McKeague</font></tt>
wrote:<br><br>
<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>"I can really feel my people's pain during the past two days" said an emotional Field Worker from the Philippines "These tears were not in the script (as she broke down and wept) - I would like my people to experience what I have experienced here these past days - the freedom and the community we have developed - if only we could sort out our conflicts in this way"</blockquote><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>"We're here together, experiencing democracy in action. I wouldn't have believed this was possible. This is my fourth Regional conference and by far the best yet. The way which ex-patriots and indigenous staff have collaborated here is far-and-away better than I've ever seen."<br><br>
"Usually there is a distance between us and indigenous and overseas staff find it difficult to really get down to deeper communication. This barrier was broken here and we have connected at a deeper level."</blockquote><br>
This is a marvelous piece Brendan, and I suspect you will hold the memories of that time out of time, caught between tranquility and terror, for a long time to come. At least that has always been my experience. The several comments that I copied above struck me particularly, if only because they capture what for me is the central gift of Open Space in this time. Call it whatever you like -- I call it Peace. It is a gift we give every time we enable the opening of space -- although of course it is not our gift, but the gift of the people given to themselves. I am sure you told that Field Worker from the Philippines that of course her people can experience the same thing the moment she chooses to Open Space.<br><br>
Words like "mission" and "responsibility" get thrown about with such abandon that often they lose their meaning -- But if we have a mission and a responsibility, I believe that we are under special obligation to open space wherever, however, and about whatever we can -- as often as we can -- simply so that the critical experience of genuine Peace remains present as a beacon in what all too often appears as a darkening world. And when that experience disappears, as it has in many places, respect, trust and hope also go the way of the dodo Bird. It isn't about "selling Open Space" -- Just do it. <br><br>
Harrison<br><br>
PS -- I find that it always works! (smile) <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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