<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><HTML><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2">Bernd:<BR>
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Thank you for that great description of your OS journey and experience. I am immediately reminded of George Land's work in "Grow or Die" and "Breakpoint and Beyond". The first part of his curve denotes where the society is trying to find out what works. There are many, many experiments, mostly disconnected and unknown to each other. Most fail to 'catch the wind' but a kind of learning is going on, nonetheless. Much of it unconscious, imho. <BR>
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Suddenly, there is a 'breakpoint', or, to give Gladwell his due, a 'tipping point' and "a way" is discovered or invented (Harrison invented OS in a recognizable, useable way) that works and society enters the replication phase (high growth)---which is where I see OS at this particular moment. Some of the leading thinkers about OS are looking at 'what is beyond' (third phase in Land's cosmology) already but my view is we have years and years to go in the high growth phase, maybe even several decades. The 'what's next' will likely be significantly different because out viewing point will be much richer and more complete from out experiential knowledge.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2"><I>Meanwhile,</I></FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2"> underneath the third phase, when we get there (also probably decades long) will be growing a new and nascent paradigm, discovering what works anew from an entirely unimaginable-at-this-point place, a new paradigm of 'groupness' or 'chaos with purpose' (words fail here) that will emerge----at least that is my hope because the alternative is a slow death of the old way of OS. The curve is inexorable. Hence, "Grow or Die".<BR>
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Such are my musings this morning from sunny Shelton, in Washington state (about two hours drive SW of Seattle). Got to get to the garden.<BR>
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Paul </FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2"></FONT></HTML>
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