<div>Your incredible faith in the human power of being responsible & finding their way is so infectious. Thanks very much.</div> <div> </div> <div>Regards</div> <div> </div> <div>Pankaj<BR><BR><B><I>Harrison Owen <hhowen@verizon.net></I></B> wrote:</div> <BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid"> <META content="Microsoft Word 10 (filtered)" name=Generator> <STYLE> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Tahoma; panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} h1 {margin-right:0in; margin-left:0in; font-size:24.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; font-weight:bold;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;} p {margin-right:0in; margin-left:0in; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} p.Style1, li.Style1, div.Style1 {margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} p.style10, li.style10, div.style10 {margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} span.emailstyle19 {font-family:Arial; color:red; font-weight:normal; font-style:normal; text-decoration:none none;} span.EmailStyle21 {font-family:Arial; color:red; font-weight:normal; font-style:normal; text-decoration:none none;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </STYLE> <DIV class=Section1> <div class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Ah Anxiety! I love it. You can tell your client that for 22 years, opening space in
all sorts of places with all sorts of people, some of whom had recently been killing each other – Never have I ever seen any physical violence. The conflict can become very intense, particularly when it starts out intense – but there has never been a situation which the people could not take care of themselves. I have never intervened, nor have I ever needed to. </SPAN></FONT></div> <div class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </div> <div class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">As for stories, I presume you have a copy of The User’s Guide (and if not SHAME ON YOU!) – The opening story about an Open Space I did should be right down your alley. 225 Native Americans, Federal Bureaucrats and State Officials (equal numbers) trying to figure out how to spend 1 ½ billion dollars for highways on tribal lands. Hot
issue! Most folks were predicting </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=red><SPAN style="COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Wounded Knee</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=red><SPAN style="COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> one more time. In fact people were so afraid of the potential for conflict that the meeting had been postponed for 2 years while everybody tried to imagine some way to “manage the conflict.” Finally they ran out of time, and the money (Highway Trust Funds) was going back to the Federal Treasury if the parties (Feds, State, and Native Americans) could not collectively figure out how to spend it. With 6 weeks remaining the love of money trumped the fear of conflict and we opened space. Not a problem. Not even a little one.</SPAN></FONT></div> <div class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </div> <div class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Oh there was one problem, and you might make your client aware of it. Seems like the Native Americans felt much more at home in Open Space than all the rest (White folks). One Navajo Chief rubbed it in a bit as we were leaving. He shook my hand, smiled, and said, “What took you so long White Man?”</SPAN></FONT></div> <div class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </div> <div class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </div> <div class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Don’t like that story? How about the 50 Palestinians and Israelis in </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=red><SPAN style="COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Rome</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=red><SPAN style="COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">? Now those folks actually were killing each other before they got together. Was it </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=red><SPAN style="COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">HOT</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=red><SPAN style="COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">!? Definitely. Did it work? Perfectly. For the details, go to –</SPAN></FONT></div> <div class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </div> <div class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><A href="http://www.openspaceworld.com/opening_space_for_peace.htm">http://www.openspaceworld.com/opening_space_for_peace.htm</A> </SPAN></FONT></div> <div class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </div> <div
class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">So have fun! Guaranteed to be quite a ride and the big thing for you will be to remember to keep breathing. When things get real tense – DO NOTHING except to take a (several) deep breaths, and KNOW that the people will take care of the business. </SPAN></FONT></div> <div class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </div> <div class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Harrison</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=red><SPAN style="COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </SPAN></FONT></div> <div class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </div> <div class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE:
12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </div> <DIV> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT face=Arial color=red size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Harrison Owen</SPAN></FONT></div> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT face=Arial color=red size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">7808 River Falls Drive</SPAN></FONT></div> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT face=Arial color=red size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Potomac, Maryland 20854</SPAN></FONT></div> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT face=Arial color=red size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Phone </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=red size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">301-365-2093</SPAN></FONT></div> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT face=Arial
color=red size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Skype hhowen</SPAN></FONT></div> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Open Space Training</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=red><SPAN style="COLOR: red"> <A href="http://www.openspaceworld.com/"><FONT face=Arial><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">www.openspaceworld.com</SPAN></FONT></A> </SPAN></FONT></div> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Open Space Institute</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=red><SPAN style="COLOR: red"> <A href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/"><FONT face=Arial><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">www.openspaceworld.org</SPAN></FONT></A></SPAN></FONT></div> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY:
Arial">Personal website</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=red><SPAN style="COLOR: red"> <A href="http://www.ho-image.com/"><FONT face=Arial><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">www.ho-image.com</SPAN></FONT></A> </SPAN></FONT></div> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">OSLIST</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=red><SPAN style="COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives Visit: </SPAN></FONT><FONT color=red><SPAN style="COLOR: red"><A href="http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html"><FONT face=Arial><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html</SPAN></FONT></A></SPAN></FONT></div></DIV> <div class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT:
0.5in"><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">-----Original Message-----<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</SPAN></B> OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] <B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">On Behalf Of </SPAN></B>Michael Wood<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Friday, November 30, 2007 12:31 AM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> Help! I need a couple of good stories</SPAN></FONT></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </div> <DIV> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I have had some conversations with a potential sponsor (an NGO with links to Government, Indigenous Communities and Mining Companies) about working
with some indigenous communities in North West Australia. The theme relates, in the short term, to the dynamics and presssures of negotiating with mining companies and longer terms themes of sustainability for aboriginal communities.</SPAN></FONT></div></DIV> <DIV> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </div></DIV> <DIV> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial color=blue size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: blue; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">What I am picking up from the sponsor is a huge (palpible) anxiety associated with the potential for OS to get out of control. I've detected control anxiety with other clients, but never with this intensity. There may also be some good basis for their anxiety. They describe an emotional landscape in some of the communities in question as being of extreme conflict. The conflict has roots in the following areas
a) anger at historic dispossesion of land by European Settlement b) anger and powerlessness at current dispossesion by mining companies (i.e. "the land will be taken anyway - so what does it mean to "profit" from this?") c) anger between tribal family groups based on historic tensions d) tensions associated with differences in law and custom e) anger associated with "wedge politics", fuelled by the fact that HUGE amounts of money are now up for graps from mining companies. The latter is a really hot topic - the NorthWest of Australia is experiencing a "gold rush" at present, except it's actually an "iron ore rush", as China sucks in ore to make steel and f) the fact that in some of these communities it is not uncommon to resort to physical violence to sort out differences.</SPAN></FONT></div></DIV> <DIV> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </div></DIV> <DIV> <div
class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial color=blue size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: blue; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">One of the key concerns of the sponsor is actually one of the physical safety of participants. i.e. "if we opened up the kind of space you are describing, we could actually just end up with a fight".</SPAN></FONT></div></DIV> <DIV> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </div></DIV> <DIV> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial color=blue size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: blue; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I have given no commitments to the sponsor that such a possibilitity might not exist. However, I have suggested that some of the safeguards of OS are a) voluntary association b) a topic which is of common concern to whoever shows up and c) the law of two feet.</SPAN></FONT></div></DIV> <DIV> <div
class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </div></DIV> <DIV> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial color=blue size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: blue; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The sponsor has asked if I have any stories of OS being used in indigenous settings involving the kind of powder keg dynamics described above. I said that I thought some work along these lines had been done in indigenous communities in Canada and Nth America, but that I would ask around and get back to them.</SPAN></FONT></div></DIV> <DIV> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </div></DIV> <DIV> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial color=blue size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: blue; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">So....I am asking around via this wonderful
email network.</SPAN></FONT></div></DIV> <DIV> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </div></DIV> <DIV> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial color=blue size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: blue; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Does anyone have any stories (either of success or warning) in circumstances similar to what I have described above, AND which you would be willing for me to share with my potential sponsor AND whether you may be willing to be contacted by email by the Sponsor to seek more detail if required. As you can see - the stakes are high - related to potential risk to people's safety! (and I don't discount my own anxiety in all this. At a head and experience level I know that "OS always works", but at an emotional level, the context sounds very challenging.</SPAN></FONT></div></DIV> <DIV> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT:
0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </div></DIV> <DIV> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial color=blue size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: blue; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Many thanks!!</SPAN></FONT></div></DIV> <DIV> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </div></DIV> <DIV> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial color=blue size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: blue; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Michael Wood</SPAN></FONT></div></DIV> <DIV> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial color=blue size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: blue; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Western Australia</SPAN></FONT></div></DIV></DIV>* * ========================================================== OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU ------------------------------ To
subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of oslist@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * ========================================================== OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of oslist@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist</BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR><BR>Regards<br><br>Pankaj
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