Dear Malay Biswas, I found your posting to the Open Space website very helpful ... thank you.
I have developed a framework, pulled together from many different sources during the past 15 years, that I call 'three worldviews' (www.martinleith.com/worldviews - but needs updating!). In summary: WORLDVIEW 1 says 'the world is a machine'. In the west this has been the prevailing worldview (paradigm, epistemology, whatever) for the past 300 years. WORLDVIEW 2 says 'the world is an ecosystem'. Here we find things like systems theories, complexity theory and large group interventions. WORLDVIEW 3 says ... well, it's very hard to say, because here we are beyond language, beyond what can be described or measured. But we are still in the concrete world. I provisionally call it 'the world is energy and consciousness', but these are just words. For most of us OS professionals, Open Space lives in this column. But some people see it as a whole systems methodology (Worldview 2) or a simple technique (Worldview 1). No matter ... they park it wherever it makes sense to them. Each Worldview embraces the one 'below' it: 2 includes 1, and 3 includes 1 and 2. Then we have what I call BEYOND WORLDVIEWS. Here we are beyond concepts, in the realm (ha ha ... another concept!) of pure experience and beingness, oneness and non duality, everything-and-nothingness, mystery, the unknown, the nameless. 'The tao that can be named is not the true tao.' This is where the teachings of people like Aurobindo and Ramana Maharjsh (http://www.ramana-maharshi.org/) reside. I find this a very practical framework. It helps me make sense of different approaches to things like innovation, communication and organisation. Although I created it for my own use, I like to make it available with others in case they find something useful in it too. Thanks again or your insights. I am grateful that you have shared them with us. Warmly, Martin* Martin Leith, Catalyst Creating a rapid shift from now to new (Download info pack: www.martinleith.com/martin/martin.doc) 17 Bedford Street, Brighton BN2 1AN, United Kingdom Phone 01273 675322 (+44 1273 675322) Mobile 07808 773713 (+44 7808 773713) email [email protected] www.martinleith.com _________________________________________________________ * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
