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<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>Social constructionism has brought
major advances for us but it has one major logical flaw. In claiming that all
truth is subject dependent, it is claiming that that is a UNIVERSAL TRUTH.
To say 'Believe me there is no such thing as objective truth' is self
contradictory'.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>Also, to say that some truth is
subject dependent does not mean it is all subject dependent. A diamond cuts a
piece of glass no matter what country you're in or how you turn the
glass.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Joe Bowers<BR>The Centre for Success, Health & Happiness<BR>612 9858
1569<BR>0403 395 488<BR><A
href="mailto:joe@successandhappiness.com.au">joe@successandhappiness.com.au</A><BR><A
href="http://www.successandhappiness.com.au">www.successandhappiness.com.au</A></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
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=EwingChange@aol.com href="mailto:EwingChange@aol.com">Esther
Ewing</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> Saturday, February 12, 2005 8:23
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Word from a US soldier</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT id=role_document face="Palatino Linotype" color=#400080
size=4>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>I am always a bit leary of calling something fact. In my
experience, the minute I label something as a truth or as fact, I discover
that there was more for me to learn about it that would change my perception.
</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>In social constructionism, there exists a principle that by the
use of our language, we create our reality and that what we inquire into,
impacts what we see.</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>I am quite naturally biased by my background, my experience and
my emotions. So what I see is through the filter of those elements and the
filter affects/limits/changes what I see. </STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Someone from Sweden will see things quite differently (though
validly) through their eyes than I, from Canada or you from the United States.
There will be times we see things the same way and times when we will not.
</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>I invite all on the list to consider that the way we each see
things is just one perception and that the way to open space wider is to own
our own views as just that, not more valid or less valid than another's.
</STRONG></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>To emphasize that it is a fact,
not just my opinion.</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
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=mailto:EwingChange@aol.com
href="mailto:EwingChange@aol.com">Esther Ewing</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
href="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU">OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, February 11, 2005 1:26
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Word from a US
soldier</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face="Palatino Linotype" color=#400080 size=4>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>Judy:</DIV>
<DIV>Why did you put "fact" in quotes?</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>Chris,<BR>Thanks for all of your insights and great
discussions!! Good food for<BR>thought. I, too, agree that
this soldier's note is a very small piece of<BR>the whole
puzzle.......BUT......I, personally, still conclude (not based<BR>solely
on his email but on many other learned factors) that Iraq is a
more<BR>"open" society than it was. Do I think it's a great, safe
place to live?<BR>Definitely not but at least their society, as a whole,
is headed in a better<BR>direction. As HO says, the Iraqi's now
have an opportunity to take the<BR>future into their own hands. It
is a "fact" that they did not have that<BR>opportunity a few years
ago.<BR>Judy<BR><BR>I don't have any great answers for the questions you
have at the end of your<BR>message...that's what I'm learning from all
of you.<BR>Thanks again for your intriguing words.<BR><BR>----- Original
Message -----<BR>From: "Chris Corrigan"
<chris.corrigan@gmail.com><BR>To:
<OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU><BR>Sent: Friday, February 11,
2005 1:36 AM<BR>Subject: Re: Word from a US soldier<BR><BR><BR>>
Finding myself witnessing this exchange, and using it to
practice<BR>> asking some questions:..<BR>><BR>><BR>>> I
agree with you that force was used to open the space which is
obviously<BR>>> not an OST principle (but I don't think that means
that the space can't<BR>>> be<BR>>> 're-opened'). I
disagree that it started with lies but that's a<BR>>>
political<BR>>> debate and not one of open space, so I won't go
there. As for 'US style<BR>>> Democracy' being the only
choice, who's making the decisions as to how<BR>>>
Iraq<BR>>> will operate in the future?...the Iraqi's. I
think their space is open<BR>>> to<BR>>> let the majority of
the Iraqi people decide...that's why the voting<BR>>>
turnout<BR>>> was so good. I believe the U.S. will
eventually "let go" of the outcome<BR>>> so<BR>>> this
doesn't just 'close the space' in my eyes. Again, this
difference<BR>>> of<BR>>> opinion can be another political
debate and I don't intend to do that in<BR>>> this forum...but
will gladly have a constructive debate one-on-one, if<BR>>>
you'd<BR>>> like.<BR>>><BR>><BR>> The question for me
always in working with a community is not "is the<BR>> space open or
not?" Space is always open, even a little. The
bigger<BR>> question is "how can we open more space here?" If
you have a<BR>> situation where there is violent conflict, you need
more space. Iraq<BR>> is not a peaceful place at the
moment. That tells me that space wants<BR>> to be cleaved open
even further. If it is your feeling that the<BR>> United States
should not leave Iraq for a while, then we might ask<BR>> "what is
the most space we can open here together?" If you think
that<BR>> Iraq should be able to do fine on its own, then, as an
American you<BR>> might ask "where can we let go some more?"
But if, in this situation,<BR>> I really wanted to open space, I
might ask "what if we had peace now<BR>> and what if together we
created that? What would we have to do to<BR>> stop the
violence and sustain a peaceful civil society in Iraq?
What<BR>> might our roles be here on the ground to bring peace to
life?"<BR>> Something like that. For sure I would encourage
talking rather than<BR>> fighting. I believe that most people
would choose even banal<BR>> constitutional conferences to killing
one another. So if we are still<BR>> killing one another, what
is the space that we can open to be bigger<BR>> than the killing
impulse?<BR>><BR>>> Thanks for your kind words about this
soldier. I only wanted to share<BR>>> the<BR>>> story
to those interested in seeing it from an angle that isn't
always<BR>>> easy<BR>>> to get. An even more
interesting thing is that this soldier admits that<BR>>>
he<BR>>> had doubts about the war before arriving in Iraq.
Here's a blurb from<BR>>> another message from
him:<BR>>> "When I was first coming over here I
had my own inner personal doubts<BR>>> about the war, but after
being over here and seeing, hearing,<BR>>>
experiencing<BR>>> what I have, it's
changed. They never tell you on the media about<BR>>>
the<BR>>> nearly 400,000 up-to-date immunizations that children
now have, or a<BR>>> continually improving and<BR>>>
much needed sewage system, or the fact that school books
don't<BR>>> portray<BR>>> Saddam as a God anymore and that
girls are now allowed in schools. They<BR>>>
don't tell you that the US Army is paying for any damages
to civil<BR>>> areas<BR>>> we cause AND the ones the
insurgents cause. They only show US soldiers<BR>>>
geting<BR>>> killed and beating up
prisoners."<BR>> > Sounds more open to me than it was when Saddam
was in power....it's no<BR>>> longer a country that has "no
choices"...<BR>>> Judy<BR>><BR>> He's one voice.
That's his story. It's great but it's hardly enough<BR>> to
give us a picture of life in Iraq. I find that in North
America,<BR>> we are often guilty of judging an entire complex
situation with a<BR>> sound bite. This type of debate is very
common, and supported by our<BR>> culture of punditry, where the goal
is to talk and listen to debate<BR>> and win a point rather than to
incur deeper understanding of one<BR>> another's positions and
interests. And so pundits invoke sound bites<BR>> like this and
draw wild conclusions about a situation based on a small<BR>>
fact.<BR>><BR>> Whether that sound bite comes through TV or
through a forwarded email<BR>> of a soldier, it's just a small small
small piece of story. I can't<BR>> judge the health of civil
society in Iraq based on what he said. This<BR>> report tells
me that there are 400,000 immunized children, new sewers,<BR>> new
text books AND much damage to civil areas and death and beaten
up<BR>> prisoners. That sounds complex, messy, full of guesses,
rounding<BR>> errors and assmuptions. I can't possibly read
that and draw<BR>> conclusions about how open Iraqi society is now
compared to three<BR>> years ago. And, I assume, as this
soldier showed up in Iraq only<BR>> after the war started, I'd be
surprised if he could make an accurate<BR>> comparison either.
He can share his story though, and that's fine,<BR>> for what it's
worth.<BR>><BR>> I think it's not easy to say whether THIS Iraq
has more or less<BR>> choices than THAT Iraq. Perhaps you have
gained the right to vote,<BR>> but you have lost a constant power
supply. Perhaps you have immunized<BR>> kids but no husband any
more. Maybe you no longer live in fear of the<BR>> secret
police, but you are now afraid of being accidentally shot or<BR>>
bombed to death. I don't know. I don't believe one man, even
if he<BR>> is in the middle of this, can really know how Iraqis
feel. I would<BR>> bet that it's not as simple as "it's more
open."<BR>><BR>> Given this report and this curious email exchange
on the OSLIST how<BR>> can we practice holding open judgement and
suspending conslusions?<BR>> As Open Space facilitators what is our
responsibility with respect to<BR>> witnessing this
situation?<BR>><BR>> It's a complex world and these are complex
questions.<BR>><BR>> Chris<BR>><BR>>
-------------------------<BR>> CHRIS CORRIGAN<BR>> Consultation -
Facilitation<BR>> Open Space Technology<BR>><BR>> Weblog:
http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot<BR>> Site:
http://www.chriscorrigan.com<BR>><BR>> *<BR>> *<BR>>
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<DIV><FONT lang=0 face="Palatino Linotype" color=#400080 size=4
PTSIZE="14" FAMILY="SERIF"><B>Esther Ewing<BR>The Change Alliance<BR>330
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