Chris wrote:
Maybe it's me (Harrison might think so...he once described the aversion
to voting as "Canadian.")
Another thing that bugs me about voting is that it says "wasn't that
Open Space thing interesting? Okay, let's get back to reality..." In
other words, it doesn't model the new reality, but reinforces the old
one. I have had people express exactly this disappointment to me. They
have said "Oh rats...we were really starting to get somewhere..."
And this "getting somewhere..." Doesn't that echo John's notion of
democracy as a journey? I don't think that democracy IS voting, nor do
I think that voting in and of itself is democracy. To reduce one to the
other removes the role and responsibilities of the citizen to act and
improve the system. Perhaps real democracy invites this action. Voting
is just a way to see what's popular.
So OST is "democratic" if it invites folks to be citizens, encourages
them to use their feet, and provides a way for outcomes to unfold
without domination from powerful interests.
Actually, I would argue that people always vote, it is only a question of
how they do it. The simple truth of the matter is that some issues have
more energy than others. Doesn't make the others bad -- just not so
pertinent at that moment. The procedure I use is balloting, and I make it
very clear that it is not a political win/lose -- just an expression of
energy. Never seemed to have a problem.
Harrison
Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, MD 20854 USA
phone 301-365-2093
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
Personal website www.mindspring.com\~owenhh
[email protected]
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