Joelle wrote to Chris:
"I was in the midst of a bizarre dream that Paul and I were
building a
house in the mountains of Carolina. Given how badly Paul does in the
warm,
steamy climate of the southeast, I doubt that this is a prediction of my
own
future. But there were several things in the dream that I think might be
for
you.
"We were building a house which seemed quite large, at least in
comparison to
the small one where we now live. Most of the outer walls had been built,
and
I think there was roof overhead, but INSIDE IT WAS CHAOS." (caps mine)
INSIDE IT WAS CHAOS...
I have used OS only in facilitating several Maryknoll Mission
conferences (I am a clinical psychologist and former Maryknoll sister)
and always precede opening the space with a short, layperson's,
description of chaos theory taken from the books of Margaret
Wheatley--"Leadership and the New Science" and, especially, "A Simpler
Way."
In that book, she gives several examples from nature of
self-organization. The one that Joelle's dream reminded me of is of the
tower-building termites of Africa and Australia who individually start
scratching randomly, gradually assemble, and work together in what looks
like a chaotic fashion to construct the tallest structures in the world
relative to their size. Their towers are architectural marvels, complete
with specialized chambers, tunnels, air-conditioning systems, and arches
that meet perfectly in the middle. Entymologists were astounded to
finally realize that there are no engineers, no construction bosses, no
blueprint, no one in charge.
Wheatley says: "Their behaviors are sophisticated, complex, and
effective. Yet they arise from activities that are messy, unplanned, and
nondirected."
So, OS gives us humans an opportunity to be (hopefully) as
effective as termites!
Best wishes for the camp's evolution, Chris.
Mary-Elizabeth Ford
Mary-Elizabeth Ford, Psy.D., NYCity
[email protected]
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