<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:small">Hi Thomas,</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:small">I'm forwarding to you a message from one of our OS colleagues in Taiwan who is looking at using open space in Taiwan following our recent earthquake disaster.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:small">Gail</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Huck Lin <a href="mailto:hucklin@gmail.com">hucklin@gmail.com</a> [OpenSpaceTechnologyTaiwan]</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:OpenSpaceTechnologyTaiwan@yahoogroups.com">OpenSpaceTechnologyTaiwan@yahoogroups.com</a>></span><br>Subject: Re: [OpenSpaceTechnologyTaiwan] How to shift a destructive "information-meeting" to a constructive dialogue meeting?<br><div style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><div><div><div><div dir="ltr"><p style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt"><span lang="EN-US"><font color="#000000" face="times new roman, serif"><br></font></span></p><p style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt"><span lang="EN-US"><font color="#000000" face="times new roman, serif">Dear Gail and all</font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="times new roman, serif">
</font><div style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt"><span lang="EN-US"><font color="#000000" face="times new roman, serif">About Tainan earthquake, it occurs to me whether
OS could be helpful in these traumas. Since disaster control leader might also not knowing best a<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:small;display:inline">n</div>swer, perhaps rescue center can benefit from
learning/using OS in their routine training or during emergency events. </font></span></div><div style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt"><span lang="EN-US"><font face="times new roman, serif"><font color="#000000">Suppose
someone inviting fireman, architectures, medical, administration, army,
survivor……etc to prepare or review an trauma like 921 or Tainan Earthquake. </font><span><font color="#000000"> </font></span><span><font color="#000000"> </font></span><span><font color="#000000"> </font></span></font></span></div><font color="#000000" face="times new roman, serif">
</font><p style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt"><span lang="EN-US"><font color="#000000" face="times new roman, serif"> </font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="times new roman, serif">
</font><p style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt"><span lang="EN-US"><font color="#000000" face="times new roman, serif">I also have some suggestion to Thomas. Could
you help forward to him ?</font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="times new roman, serif">
</font><p style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt"><span lang="EN-US"><font color="#000000" face="times new roman, serif"><br></font></span></p><p style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt"><span lang="EN-US"><font color="#000000" face="times new roman, serif">Hi, Thomas </font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="times new roman, serif">
</font><p style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt"><span lang="EN-US"><font color="#000000" face="times new roman, serif">I‘d suggest you to try informal approaches
to connect domestic citizen and refugees. Governments or enterprises might be
too stubborn or bureaucratic to change adequately. </font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="times new roman, serif">
</font><p style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt"><span lang="EN-US"><font color="#000000" face="times new roman, serif">Perhaps NGOs will be more open and
flexible. Even could you consider initiating new NGOs responding to current refugees
situation. </font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="times new roman, serif">
</font><div style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt"><span lang="EN-US"><font face="times new roman, serif"><font color="#000000">Once in 2005 I attend a meeting with structure
similar to OS, the topic is about Taiwan Independence <div class="gmail_default" style="display:inline">a</div>nd Unite with China,
most conflictive issue in Taiwan. Hold by a<div class="gmail_default" style="display:inline">n</div> NGO <div class="gmail_default" style="display:inline">to </div>focus on Peace. </font><span><font color="#000000"> </font></span><span><font color="#000000"> </font></span></font></span></div><div style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt"><span lang="EN-US"><font face="times new roman, serif"><font color="#000000">Besides, the information-meetings or usual OS may be
too rational to these inter-cultures, inter-religion, multi-language (?) immigration
dialogues. The conversations or gatherings focusing more on emotion, companion,
sympathy, mutual understanding, and basic life needs…etc. might be more suitable
at this first stage. </font><span><font color="#000000"> </font></span></font></span></div><font color="#000000" face="times new roman, serif">
</font><p style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt"><span lang="EN-US"><font color="#000000" face="times new roman, serif"> </font></span></p><font color="#000000" face="times new roman, serif">
</font><p style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt"><span lang="EN-US"><font color="#000000" face="times new roman, serif">Warm Regards</font></span></p><p style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt"><font face="times new roman, serif"><span lang="EN-US"><font color="#000000"></font></span></font></p><div class="gmail_default" style="display:inline"><font face="times new roman, serif"><font color="#000000">Huck Lin, </font></font></div><font face="times new roman, serif"><a href="mailto:hucklin@gmail.com" target="_blank">hucklin@gmail.com</a></font><p></p><font color="#000000" face="新細明體" size="3">
</font></div><div class="gmail_extra"><div><div class="h5"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:small">***********</div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><span lang="EN-GB">Dear friends in Open Spac</span><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">e,</span><br>I have decided to focus my time and energy, as much as possible, to contributing in a critical area here in Sweden. Last year we received 160 000 asylum seekers. Of course this means some challenges but also lots of fantastic opportunities. Many many people are engaging as volunteers, villages who have “been sleeping” for decades wake up etc etc<br> <br>One of the challenges is that neighbours often become afraid when new asylum camps are opened near where they live. Or homes for lonely refugee children (35 000 came last year). There are so many rumours going on, and shit is spread on social media – so many “normal” people are very much afraid from stories they heard – often false ones but also that single events create pictures in people’s heads.<br> <br><span lang="EN-GB">In my hometown one school which was being rebuilt to house lonely refugee children was burnt down </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Wingdings">L</span><span lang="EN-GB"> and we had many fires like that all over the country </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Wingdings">L</span><br> <br>What the authorities usually do when a new housing is to open is to invite the public to a “information-meeting” where they put some politicians, the CEO of the company running the camp, some officials from the municipality in front of a crowd of people who are worried and some are even outright hostile with racist ideas. You can imagine what usually happens… I was in one of those meetings a couple of weeks ago, it was horrible.<br>I think the usual impact is:<br><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:7pt;font-stretch:normal"> </span></span><u></u><span lang="EN-GB">Increased fear and hostility towards people coming to our country from war zones.</span><br><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:7pt;font-stretch:normal"> </span></span><u></u><span lang="EN-GB">Increased mistrust to the politicians and municipality.</span><br><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:7pt;font-stretch:normal"> </span></span><u></u><span lang="EN-GB">People at the front get more or less badly hurt.</span><br>Not a very good result. In fact it’s outright dangerous to arrange these kind of meetings. But mostly they don’t know better. Which is quite surprising to me as there are thousands of trained facilitators in our country.<br> <br>Since some time I have been working with colleagues in our Open Space and Genuine Contact communities to create alternative ways to have such meetings. We have some good ideas but would also like to hear what comes up for you? Normally these meetings are conducted in the evening, length of 2-3 hours. Normally they are not well planned and not facilitated other than trying to control them. They are called “information meetings” which says a lot.<br> <br>So I’d love to hear your experiences, ideas, suggestions…<br> <br>Thomas Herrmann<br><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">*******</span><br><span style="font-size:12.8px;color:rgb(31,73,125)">Good Go Thomas....! And if you want to connect with folks who have done what you are proposing to do, talk to Tova and Avner in Israel and or Carol who happens to be here in the US. All are on OSLIST... but not regular. I could wake them up, I think. Bottom line is just open space with whoever cares – and get out of the way. It does work! </span><span style="font-size:12.8px;color:rgb(31,73,125);font-family:Wingdings">J</span><span style="font-size:12.8px;color:rgb(31,73,125)"> And of course there are lot of others to consult with around the globe.</span><br><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);font-size:12.8px"> </span><br><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);font-size:12.8px">Harrison</span><br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex"><div style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><div><div><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div lang="SV" vlink="#954F72" link="#0563C1"><u></u><p></p><p><u></u></p><p><u></u></p><p><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-size:14pt"></span></p><div style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:small">**************</div><br><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-size:14pt">Dear Thomas,<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p><div style="font-family:georgia,serif"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-size:14pt">I would very much like to hear the ideas that you and your colleagues have come up with. I believe you, who live there and are deep in your cultural reality, have probably already found the best ideas.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-size:14pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-size:14pt">None of the issues you mention are new…fear, hostility, mistrust to politicians and municipality, and people being hurt. All of these are coming to the forefront instead of being buried behind illusion, including the effects of prejudice and racism. These same issues come up in just about any country I have been in, with the catalysts to bring them to the forefront different in different circumstances. I don’t think any of us can forget the extreme of genocide in various countries like Rwanda and Tasmania. And so you, in Sweden, are contending with what is always under the surface. Fear, fear of loss, fear of the unknown…and all of the faces that such fear takes.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-size:14pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-size:14pt">Thomas, you have stood here at our Harmony Circle, in which those of us who gather commit to holding space for our whole lifetime for opportunities for harmony in the world. Before anyone makes that commitment, we caution you not to do so unless you can do what every really good facilitator of OS must do…to be completely neutral to outcome, no attachment to outcome, no taking of sides, no judging anyone as good or bad. We talked about how it is possible to hold this stance of being what I refer to as a ‘resonant energy field generator’, holding a frequency of love….for a lifetime, in times of war, in times of fear, pain, challenge and how to hold this stance even when it might be more ‘natural’ to want to take action to fix something. And thus, my only suggestion is rooted in this. If the facilitators can do their inner work and stay in genuine contact with their self and with Spirit, it is possible to be helpful. If the foundation for acting comes from panic, or judgment, or inner conflict of any kind, it is likely to make a mess.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-size:14pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-size:14pt">Blessings to you all,<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-size:14pt">Birgitt</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-size:14pt">*************</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><br></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature"><i>Gail West, ICA</i><br><i>3F, No. 12, Lane 5, Tien Mou W Rd<br>Taipei, Taiwan 111<br>Ph) 8862) 2871-3150</i><br>email) <a href="mailto:icataiw@gmail.com" target="_blank">icataiw@gmail.com</a><br>Skype) gwestica<br><a href="http://www.icatw.com" target="_blank">www.icatw.com</a></div>
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