Harrison... "Open the gates! Open the gates!" Baron Munchhausen
On Monday, 14 October 2013, Harrison Owen wrote: > Paul – I was a little short on the last response. Sorry. But I really did > mean it. Thanks! As for Temple Bells and walking counter-clockwise... I > like the bells, but haven’t used them in some years, mostly because I > forgot to bring them (senile dementia?) – but it all seems to work. As for > the counter-clockwise business. That one has me confused. I guess I usually > got to my right? But that may be because I am marginally dominant in my > right hand? Just confused? But I am left handed... double confused?? Anyhow > – always good to push the boundaries. And Thanks again.**** > > ** ** > > Harrison**** > > ** ** > > Harrison Owen**** > > 7808 River Falls Dr. <x-apple-data-detectors://2>**** > > Potomac, MD 20854 <x-apple-data-detectors://3>**** > > USA**** > > ** ** > > 189 Beaucaire Ave. <x-apple-data-detectors://4> (summer)**** > > Camden, Maine 04843 <x-apple-data-detectors://5>**** > > ** ** > > Phone 301-365-2093**** > > (summer) 207-763-3261**** > > ** ** > > www.openspaceworld.com <http://www.openspaceworld.com%20> **** > > www.ho-image.com <http://www.ho-image.com%20> (Personal Website)**** > > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of > OSLIST Go to: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org**** > > ** ** > > *From:* oslist-boun...@lists.openspacetech.org <javascript:_e({}, 'cvml', > 'oslist-boun...@lists.openspacetech.org');> [mailto: > oslist-boun...@lists.openspacetech.org <javascript:_e({}, 'cvml', > 'oslist-boun...@lists.openspacetech.org');>] *On Behalf Of *paul levy > *Sent:* Monday, October 14, 2013 4:48 PM > *To:* World wide Open Space Technology email list > *Subject:* Re: [OSList] The OST Game**** > > ** ** > > Harrison **** > > ** ** > > Whatever you experienced as OST when it first escaped has largely become a > game. A game of training. A game of "go back to base and read the manual". > Even you play a regular game on here as one of the elders who keep > defending OST against change (oh yes you do). It's become a game with a > book of instructions with bells, anti-clockwise circle walking and "rules". > That's a shame and, thankfully, fairly pointless as it keeps on escaping in > different and lovely ways anyway.**** > > ** ** > > Now, opening space, that's something really worth trying... **** > > ** ** > > (Waits as the usual elders line up to deliver their wise pronouncements)... > **** > > ** ** > > So it goes.**** > > ** ** > > Paul Levy**** > > ** ** > > > > On Monday, 14 October 2013, Harrison Owen wrote:**** > > A marvelous conversation... and I have been absent a bit for a good cause, > I hope. I have been doing my homework, reading all the assigned material > about broken reality and culture hacking. Interesting journey! And along > the way I came upon an odd realization – I really just don’t like games! > Seems it had something to do with early childhood trauma... my mother just > loved games, and she would beat me unmercifully. Oh well. Unfortunately > that aversion carried on into my adult life, particularly as it related to > the so called Group Dynamics games that we were all supposed to play prior > to serious discussion. Seems like you just couldn’t have an adult > interchange without some “warm-up” to break the ice. Or so they said. > Really bugged me. I just couldn’t believe that consenting adults could not > communicate without some elaborate foreplay – funny tools drawn from the > omnipresent Facilitator’s Tool Box.**** > > **** > > So much for my inherent pathology and prejudices, but there may be > something of a positive outcome. I simply had to believe that given > reasonable conditions, human beings could sit down and talk productively > with each other – all by themselves. As adults. It did take two martinis to > get me there... but “there” was (guess what) Open Space. We have been > doing that ever since, and it turns out that children do just as well. *** > * > > **** > > What may have started as childish rebellion (against Mother, Facilitators, > etc) has only gotten worse. With increasing age and experience it has > become clearer and clearer that the less I do the better things work. It is > not that I have no agency or contribution, but it does turn out that the > ambient wisdom and capacity of the individuals and groups that I am > privileged to interact with so vastly exceeds my own that I would do very > well to fold my hands and shut my mouth. Anything else has me working much > too hard, and generally messing things up... Such are the eye glasses > through which I view my world. Distorted perhaps, and different for sure, > but I’m stuck with it. And it is through those glasses that I read my > assignments, beginning with “Reality is Broken.” **** > > **** > > Jane McGonigal weaves a fascinating tale of the strange (to me) world of > Game Makers, Gaming, and Gamers. I can certainly understand why she has > created a stir, and I applaud her massive research and clear prose. That > said, my reaction was close to horror, and the thought that the world and > techniques she describes should become a model and a means to fix our world > was pretty close to terror. Doubtless much of this can be ascribed to my > aforementioned phobia – but I suspect that others might share such > feelings. Two points stand out in my mind—Gaming is addictive, a point she > develops in infinite detail, and secondly that good Game Makers actually > capitalize on this phenomen >
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