<html>
<body>
Dear Friends and Colleagues,<br><br>
It has been a strange summer, almost as if the world were holding its
breath, waiting. . . for what? War continues in Iraq, but it all seems
more of the same. The American economy moves a step forward, only to fall
a step back. True, the embattled Liberians appear to be in for a moment
of peace, and in The Middle East, there are some small signs of progress,
but the Fence continues to extend, the settlements to expand. A friend of
mine says this is the time for Silent Witness, and I agree -- at least
for myself.<br><br>
Silent Witness is absolutely not to be confused with non-involvement,
although it is definitely at the other end of the spectrum from active
Doing. The role of Silent Witness is obviously not for everyone (thank
God) for there are many things to be done, but with all the doing, there
is a place for quiet contemplation, the simple holding of all that is in
clear consciousness -- fully recognizing that the consciousness is never
clear and the totality of creation vastly exceeds our capacity to hold.
It is an affirmative role, acknowledging what is -- without blame or
judgement. It is also remarkably difficult and hard work. The obvious
wrongs and abundant, arrogant stupidities in our midst call out to be
fixed. And what good is a Silent Witness? Shouldn't we be doing
something??<br><br>
At a personal level, the role of Silent Witness is a marvelous way
to re-establish perspective. In the confusion of the moment, I find it
useful to recall that the President of the most powerful nation on Earth
is but a dust spot on the great panorama of human history, no matter what
the White House press office may say. Further, that great panorama of
human history is barely a nanosecond in the history of our planet, which
is turn is only a minor subplot at the edge of a second rate Galaxy. In
the grand order of things, our tribulations add up to little more than a
minor cosmic dust eddy. Far from being depressing, I find this
perspective cleansing to a soul over busied with troubles and concerns.
Of course, I understand this is our world and our lives that stand in
jeopardy -- but I count it as a great privilege just being here. Even if
all I feel like doing is bitch.<br><br>
On a broader level, I find the role of Silent Witness to be a salient
addition to the mad world of every day doing. A point of reference, a
steady rock in the winds, a constant reminder of who we really are when
we feel lost in the trivia and tumult. I am quite clear that being the
Silent Witness in this broader sense is not a role you can claim for
yourself. The role can only be conferred by our fellows. I am deeply
thankful for those special creatures who are Silent Witnesses for me. And
if in some way I can return the favor, I will feel blessed.<br><br>
And so this summer I have found myself engaged as Silent Witness, if only
for myself. The fact that I have been here in Maine by a lake, with
multiple forays to the nearby ocean since June, and have no expectation
of leaving until September, should have made my task all the easier. But
appearances can be deceiving. For the first time in my life that I can
remember, I have done nothing of substance. No books have been written,
edited, even thought about. Not a conference or congress on my calender.
And the last client I saw was in Washington almost two months ago. Ideal,
you might think, but I have never struggled more in my life. Doing
nothing, it turns out, is very hard work.<br><br>
Come September, it will be back to the doing side of things. And it would
be my hope to spend time with as many of you who care to connect. In
addition to the serendipitous crossing of paths, you might also make an
intention (forget about plans) to join me and some wonderful colleagues
in <i>The Practice of Peace</i>. Calling this a training program would be
a misnomer. I would prefer, Learning Expedition -- as we all explore our
roles and responsibilities as peacemakers for ourselves, our
organizations, and our world over the course of three rich and intense
days. The expedition departs from <font color="#FF0000">Toronto</font> in
September (contact Larry Peterson < larry@spiritedorg.com> or
Audrey Coward <abc@interlog.com> ), From
<font color="#FF0000">Seattle</font> in November (contact Peggy Holman
<peggy@opencirclecompany.com>),
<font color="#FF0000">Cleveland</font> in December (Contact Herb
Stevenson <Therbstevenson@aol.com>), and <font color="#FF0000">New
York</font> in January (Contact Karen Davis
<kdavis@concentric.net>.<br>
For all the details click on
<a href="http://www.openspaceworld.com/" eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.com</a>
<br><br>
I look forward to seeing you when and wherever!<br><br>
Harrison<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>
<u>OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<br>
</u></font>To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,<br>
view the archives of <font color="#0000FF"><u>oslist@listserv.boisestate.edu<br>
</u></font>Visit: <a href="http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html" eudora="autourl"><font color="#0000FF"><u>http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html</a><br><br>
<br><br>
</font></u></div>
</body>
</html>
*
*
==========================================================
OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
------------------------------
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist@listserv.boisestate.edu,
Visit:
<p>
http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html