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<div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">To Harrison's point:</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">Shortly after the close of the Bosnian War, I facilitated an Open Space for the USAID sponsored Democracy Network project.</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">Assembled were "leaders" of the three warring factions, Croates, Bosniacs and Serbs.</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">At the close the participants held a totally self-organized party, complete with live music and more than enough food and drink. There was plenty of dancing and singing.</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">If you didn't know better, you would have said someone had just gotten married.</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">There's hope. Go to work!</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">Elwin Guild</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">Future Development International</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">Portland, CT </div><div><br></div>
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On Friday, February 25, 2022, 08:03:37 AM EST, Harold Shinsato via OSList <oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:
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<div>[This is from Harrison Owen because he is having trouble
posting and asked me to send this on his behalf. - Harold]<br>
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<div>Michael Panwitz's response was superb and brought back
many memories. Michael and I teamed to produce some open
space for 250 Rabbis and Imams -- as he said. But they
weren't just "any" Imams and Rabbis. They were the lead guys
in such places as Jerusalem, Paris, New York, Istanbul --
and all around the world. How we got into all this, I truly
don't know, but there it was in Barcelona, Spain. The theme:
"Peace." Talk about Conflict and High Dama.</div>
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<div>The sponsors had decided that since the attendees were a
rather formal sort, we should not jump right into Open
Space, but rather ease in. So the meeting began with the
usual dais, speakers, and everybody sitting rows.
Personally, I can't stand meetings like that, so I did not
attend, but somewhere around noon, I was walking through the
massive atrium of the hotel when I heard the conference
organizer (the guy who does all the work) yelling "Harrison,
Harrison..". He caught up to me, and asked -- "How
quickly can you do Open Space? It is Chaos in there (the
main auditorium)." "The Imam from Paris is standing on the
dais screaming at the Chief Rabbi from Jerusalem..."</div>
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<div>I replied -- that depended totally on the hotel staff and
how quickly they could make a circle out of rows of chairs.
To give them plenty of time, I suggested a three hour lunch
break. That might sound extreme, but not unheard of in
Barcelona and other parts of the world. It would also
provide a good cooling off period.</div>
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<div>At 3:00 pm the 250 Rabbis and Imams walked into a
transformed environment -- one big circle. There was a quiet
buzz, radically different from the cacophony of the
morning. What a difference a circle can make. I stood at the
edge to welcome the people and said simply that we are here
to find our way in peace. Then walking slowly around the
circle I invited each person to notice all the others,
locating those they knew, would like to know -- and all the
strangers. When I reached the point of my beginning I
stopped to enjoy the silence which was deep and pregnant.
You could hear a pin drop.</div>
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<div>You know what happened next. I moved to the center of the
circle to quickly explain about posting issues, The Five
Principles, One Law, Bumble Bees and Butterflies -- with a
final admonition to <b><i>Be prepared to be surprised... </i></b> And
then an invitation to any one who cared to post their issue.
Total silence. </div>
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<div>One by one, and soon small groups... participants moved
to the center to take a piece of paper and write their
issue. I stood quietly, and as each person became ready I
gave them the microphone along with the suggestion that they
keep their remarks as brief as possible. But clearly the
group had different ideas -- and they made the space
their own. Each announcement became a 5-10 minute "sermonet"
offered with feeling but real respect. For more than two
hours we proceeded in that fashion and the group as a whole
listened to every word. Perhaps some people left, but I
didn't notice. But what I did notice was that I was
personally exhausted. It is amazing what happens when you
are in the vortex of all that swirling energy even if you
are apparently doing nothing. I just had to go. When I had
the opportunity, I handed the microphone to Michael, said
thank you, and walked out. </div>
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<div>I had no question that everything would work out
perfectly. And as Michael has described, the people
quickly came to a conclusion and adjourned for the evening.
The next morning we met briefly in the circle, but since all
the issues were posted there was really nothing to do but --
Go to work. Which we did. The issue groups met in the huge
atrium of the hotel. Everyone contributed to the common buzz
in the multiple languages of the participants. Great
intensity, but also quiet respect. It seemed like the most
natural thing in the world.</div>
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<div>On this first night of the invasion of Ukraine, the
peace, respect and passion of Barcelona might seem a distant
dream. But it is also a hopeful one. It can happen again.
However, we have a lot of space to open -- not just in the
Ukraine. There are 8 billion of us affected by what is
taking place and there are not nearly enough atrium hotels
to accommodate the crowd. New ways of opening space are
obviously required and finding them will be both
challenging and sometimes very scary. But we do have a lot
of experience and it is time to get to work. Good luck !</div>
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<div>Harrison</div>
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