<div dir="ltr"><div><div><div><div>Marie Ann,<br><br></div>I loved the "shiny penny" story of what you shared about Open Space, loved that it was long as I could live the magic in your words. I also loved all the answers and comments (short and long) feeling that the beauty, wonder and magic of Open Space cannot really be explained or captured by the right words no more than one can explain this wonderful thing called life which is self-organizing and more. <br>
<br></div>Yet to speak of it and to share it from whatever perspective we have is truly a gift. <br><br></div>So thank you Marie Ann for opening this special space!<br><br></div>Suzanne<br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br>
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Dec 30, 2013 at 4:09 PM, paul levy <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:paul@cats3000.net" target="_blank">paul@cats3000.net</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
Of course, all of these wonderful statements about what self-organisation is, are organising statements !<div><br></div><div>Open Space Technology itself, minimal as it is, is an organising process.</div><div><br></div><div>
I do enjoy lazy philosophy. It's part of our mysterious humanity. And making statements about self-organisation is like trying to bite your own teeth. You can't grasp this particular spiritual feather because you are the feather, the wind, the blowing and even the story of it.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Though, perhaps the "self" in self-organisation really does refer to the human self.</div><div><br></div><div>The eye is formed by the light, for the light. Perhaps it's us self-organising so the self might know it.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Happy New Year</div><div><br></div><div>Paul Levy<div><div class="h5"><br><br>On Monday, 30 December 2013, Daniel Mezick wrote:<br></div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000"><div><div class="h5">
Such a rich topic! Thanks to <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">Marie
Ann Östlund for opening this topic.</span><br>
<br>
I am compelled to add the following words (verbatim) from RIGHTS OF
MAN, by Thomas Paine. The book is quite an interesting read for
folks like us. It tends to confirm and join with all of Harrison's
key points. <br>
<br>
My favorite quote in the book: <br>
"...society performs for itself almost everything that is ascribed
to government."<br>
<br>
When he says [society] in the text, he means groups to people who
are self-organizing, according to natural propensity.<br>
<br>
The whole book is here, for free:<br>
<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3742/3742-h/3742-h.htm#link2H_4_0007" target="_blank">http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3742/3742-h/3742-h.htm#link2H_4_0007</a><br>
<br>
Quoting below, from this specific section:<br>
<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3742/3742-h/3742-h.htm#link2HCH0001" target="_blank">http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3742/3742-h/3742-h.htm#link2HCH0001</a><br>
<br>
Will you pardon my forwardness? I've taken the liberty of bolding a
few words for emphasis:<br>
<p> "So far is it from being true, as has been <b>pretended</b>,
that the abolition of any formal government is the dissolution of
society, that it acts by a contrary impulse, and brings the latter
the closer together. All that part of its organisation which it
had committed to its government, devolves again upon itself, and
acts through its medium. When men, as well from natural instinct
as from reciprocal benefits, have habituated themselves to social
and civilised life, <b>there is always enough of its principles
in practice to carry them</b> through any changes they may find
necessary or convenient to make in their government. In short, <b>man
is so naturally a creature of society</b> that it is almost
impossible to put him out of it. </p>
<b> </b>
<p><b> "Formal government makes but a small part of civilised life</b>;
and when even the best that human wisdom can devise is
established, it is a thing more in name and idea than in fact. It
is to the great and fundamental principles of society and
civilisation—to the common usage universally consented to, and
mutually and reciprocally maintained—to the unceasing circulation
of interest, which, passing through its million channels,
invigorates the whole mass of civilised man—it is to these things,
infinitely more than to anything which even the best instituted
government can perform, that the safety and prosperity of the
individual and of the whole depends. </p>
<p><b> "The more perfect civilisation is, the less occasion has it
for government</b>, because the more does it regulate its own
affairs, <b>and govern itself</b>; but so contrary is the
practice of old governments to the reason of the case, that the
expenses of them increase in the proportion they ought to
diminish. It is but few general laws that civilised life requires,
and those of such common usefulness, that whether they are
enforced by the forms of government or not, the effect will be
nearly the same.<b> If we consider what the principles are</b>
that first condense men into society, and what are the motives
that regulate their mutual intercourse afterwards, we shall find,
by the time we arrive at what is called government, that <b>nearly
the whole of the business is performed by the natural operation
of the parts upon each other. </b></p>
<p> "Man, with respect to all those matters, is more a creature of
consistency than he is aware, or than governments would wish him
to believe. <b>All the great laws of society are laws of nature.</b>
Those of trade and commerce, whether with respect to the
intercourse of individuals or of nations, are laws of mutual and
reciprocal interest. They are followed and obeyed, because it is
the interest of the parties so to do, and <b>not on account of
any formal laws their governments may impose or interpose. </b></p>
<br>
***<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<div>On 12/30/13 11:10 AM, Harrison Owen
wrote:<br>
</div>
</div></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><div class="h5">
<div>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Marie
– I think you have it just right. But maybe you are making
things a little too complicated, and working a bit too hard.
In my simple mind, things look like this. First: All systems
are self organizing, even those we think we organize.
Second: Organizing a self organizing system is not only an
oxymoron, but stupid – especially when the system can do a
better job all by itself. Third: Whenever we try to organize
a self-organizing system, we inevitably get it wrong. Our
efforts are “clunky.” Even though it may look great on
paper, our efforts are never subtle or flexible (agile)
enough. Fourth: Open Space is simply an invitation to self
organize. In other words it is simply an invitation to be
and do what we are. The fact that it works as it does has
nothing to do with our knowing any philosophy, principles,
practices... It works as it has for 13.7 billion years, long
before we arrived on the scene, all without our help and
assistance. Fifth: the real value of OST is as a training
program enabling us to experience consciously and
intentionally what all too often passes by unnoticed – Life.
It is also a marvelous laboratory in which we can learn more
about our natural state. And oh yes – all the principles,
philosophies, practices, etc are fun, interesting, and
useful to the extent that they help us to understand with
greater clarity what is really going on. But at the end of
the day they really don’t change a thing. I think.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">ho
<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Harrison
Owen<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><a>7808
River Falls Dr.</a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><a>Potomac,
MD 20854</a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">USA<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><a>189
Beaucaire Ave.</a> (summer)<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><a>Camden,
Maine 04843</a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Phone
<a href="tel:301-365-2093" target="_blank">301-365-2093</a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">(summer)
<a href="tel:207-763-3261" target="_blank">207-763-3261</a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><a href="http://www.openspaceworld.com%20" target="_blank">www.openspaceworld.com</a>
<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><a href="http://www.ho-image.com%20" target="_blank">www.ho-image.com</a>
(Personal Website)<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<div>-- <br>
<p>Daniel Mezick, President</p>
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<br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Suzanne Daigle<br>Open Space Facilitator<br>NuFocus Strategic Group<br><br>FL 941-359-8877 <br>Cell: 203-722-2009<br><a href="http://www.nufocusgroup.com" target="_blank">www.nufocusgroup.com</a><br>
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