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<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>Harrison said:<BR><BR><FONT
face=Arial><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT face=Arial>Through my
eyes it has always appeared to me that there is precious little that occurs at a
deep level in WC, AI, and FS -- that does not also occur in OS. Further, that
the deepest moments of the preceding three happen when the space (for whatever
reason) is most fully open</FONT></FONT><FONT face=Arial>...if the common point
of power is open space -- why not just Open Space? Not much else needed.
<BR></FONT></FONT><BR></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>Harrison, I deeply and firmly believe
that all roads lead to Open Space. And yet, I do work with AI and
occaisionally TWC and I applaud the work of my fs colleagues. Why?
Because they are where a client is willing to start AND they lead to Open
Space.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>Years ago I remember you telling me that
anytime you do something for another, it disempowers them. Anytime I
consider supporting someone in some way, I think of this. As I've
experimented with this through the years (mostly by not stepping in to
help), I saw others support someone that I had left (lovingly) to find
their way on their own. In many cases, that helping hand gave the person
or group the start they needed to take the next step on their own. My
conclusion: there are times that support, provided sparingly and always, always
with the intent of letting go, is of service. That is how I hold any work
I do that requires me to do silly facilitator gyrations like asking people to do
activity a, then b. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>The critical, critical discipline for me
is to continually ask myself my favorite Harrison design question: "what's
one less thing to do (and have this be whole and complete)?" I know
without hesitation that anytime things start getting complicated that it is
time to step back and ask, "what is the intent?" and "what is the minimum
required for this to occur"?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>You said:</FONT><BR><FONT
face=Arial>...it is not The Designed Process (AI, FS, WC, or OS) but rather the
natural gift possessed by all of us that deserves the credit. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"
size=2></FONT><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"
size=2></FONT><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT><BR><FONT face=Arial>...I
seriously doubt that the genesis of all that good stuff happened because of
brilliant design and application. It happened because a total natural and
pre-existing phenomenon was allowed to do its work. Most importantly, this
phenomenon was NOT the creation of the conference designers and facilitators. It
was in fact the natural "possession" of the group as a whole, and each
individual present. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>Absolutely! Goodness knows that I
wouldn't dream of taking credit for their work! I do believe that what is
useful is naming what is happening (e.g., speaking the law and the
principles) so that they have the gift of consciously knowing what's working and
can take it with them when they leave. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>To that end, I have taken to describing
the law of two feet with the phrase "Take responsibility for what you
love". While simply another way of talking about passion and
responsibility, it has remarkable potency. In fact,
I learned something new about the implications of this
invitation. On my way to breakfast on the third
morning, one of the many luminaries at the gathering stopped me with a
clear, crisp call. She said that she'd just "gotten" what it means to take
responsibility for what you love. She explained that she had been excluded
from a journal on a subject in which she is an acknowledged expert. She
had been hurt and fretting about it and wasn't sure what to do with the
angst. She told me she woke up with my face in hers saying, "take
repsonsibility for what you love" and immediately knew what she had to do.
She started composing a letter to the publisher telling him that
he needed to publish something of hers and indeed, that he needed her as a
keynote at an upcoming conference. And with that, she could let go.
She went on to say (and this is where my new learning comes in) that in the past
she would have told herself that it was her ego talking and let it go.
What the phrase "take responsibility for what you love" did for her was help her
discern calling from ego. It gave her the power to act
appropriately.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>Wow! She did the
work. No question. Yet those words -- take responsibility for
what you love -- the essence of Open Space, made it possible for her to
clearly see herself and her power in a new way.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't get
any better.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>from sunny Seattle,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2>Peggy</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=2><BR><BR></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>
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