Raffi, your notion of 'The Next Big Thing will likely not be a tool, but rather an attitude' resonates strongly with my experience of being an OST facilitator since 1994, a longstanding member of this list and also with my observings related to coming to live in Hong Kong a few months ago.
And with your notion Seamus of 'For me it comes down to people. People who are willing to be open to others.' Here is a brief account of what I have observed in a little microcosm - through the lens of a solid background in OST - recently. Is what I have noted in line with the direction in which you both are pointing ... By a stroke of remarkable fortune I am connected to a very lively group of people in Hong Kong. This started in May of last year when I had a day here between flights en route from Australia to Europe and the US. The connecting happened through my 'putting out' to listserv colleagues, including Gail West in Taiwan, about contacts here. Back came a flood of invitations to meet with people, among which was one from a group who call themselves the SPIRIT of Hong Kong: Consciously creating Hong Kong, together. www.spiritofhongkong.org They asked me to talk about about 'open agenda processes' and reportedly found this very useful. On my way home (to Adelaide) a month later I arranged to attend another of their gatherings to report on ideas picked up on my travels, particularly OpenSpace-Online from Gabriela Ender. Meeting with this group was likely part of the decision process in my wife Carmen and I taking up an opportunity to come to live here. For what I sensed from the earlier encounter and since being a resident is that this group manifests an attitude that is thrilling, welcoming, enlivening and inspiring. The core participants are warm, open, interesting - and interested - people. Perhaps this can be characterised as their having an attitude of cheerfulness and gratitude. (Arun Wakhlu and I have corresponded recently on these elements in preparing people for OST facilitation). Coupled with a caring for each other which I would call 'We are here to treat each other well.' And a knowing - which is brought up regularly - that every gathering will only happen once in human history and that those present would do well to make the most of their time together. The mission of the group is to fill the void - since it is not happening at 'official' levels - of creating a vision of what this World City could be. They are doing this through inviting anyone to contribute ideas on this. Consciously or not, the principles of OST are implicit - while the format is not - in the weekly gatherings. These are underpinned, in my interpretation, with a spirit of 'delicious anticipation' of what may happen. The Spirit of Hong Kong group - I can happily now say 'We' - see that outcome is not paramount. As a media article on the enterprise indicates: "We're not trying to reach a definite point. We're just trying to facilitate a process of thinking and sharing." "Nature is full of chain reactions - links that don't necessarily know what they're doing in the big picture. We're a breeding ground, creating chain reactions and enabling things to evolve. You can do this without consciously knowing what you're doing." http://www.spiritofhongkong.org/eng/default.asp I wonder if these personal experiences and impressions contribute to what you feel about what might be being breathed into becoming? With love Alan Hong Kong ----- Original Message ----- From: "Raffi Aftandelian" <ra...@bk.ru> To: <osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu> Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2005 11:43 AM Subject: Re: a very simple reason...indeed Hi Elwin! I never believed that Harrison taught anything. I know you can't teach it, that all one can do in the framework of an OST facilitator workshop is help (at best) for participants to remember it. So, Harrison for me was never in that conventional sense a teacher. Yes, OST is timeless...and it's wonderful, and for now it's all we got. The Next Big Thing will likely not be a tool, but rather an attitude, I believe, an attitude that like OST will be a simple formalization of what has always been around. Harrison, I am arguing, perhaps by holding on to her child, who is now a young adult, is doing his baby some disservice. I sense some fear from him that OST will not spread as it should. And that inability to let go may very well be keeping OST from spreading as it should. What was that crazy anthropologist with Basque roots saying about "let go of outcome"? Oh, I bet she was just talking out of her ___? Nevermind, I think I was just imagining things : )) Aside to Harrison, I got the message about the hat. I'll try not to go there unless the situation calls for it. Obnoxious OST koan: Who is more of a space invader, me or Harrison? Warmly, Raffi Raffi Aftandelian wrote 19 ??? 2005 ?., 2:52:21: > --- Raffi Aftandelian <ra...@bk.ru> wrote: >> I recall a number of years back that I wondered, well, what comes >> after the last paradigm. And now I think I realize that many people >> have already probably answered the question. I don't think it's >> appropriate to try to answer it on the listserv, maybe for the same >> reason that it may no longer be appropriate for you, Harrison, to be >> on this listserv or to continue "teaching" or "doing" open space. > Oh Raffi, Dear Child, > I think all that is missing is enough "number of years back" for you to > appreciate the true timelessness of Open Space Technology. > Harrison isn't teaching anything, and never did. Harrison opened space > period. > OSLIST is a learning forum yes. But it is not teaching. It is > questioning and listening. Raffi, this is all about meditating and > practicing in search of one less thing to do in persuit of problem > solving and peace. > The learning takes place ONLY when we are DOING! > peace from Bawlmer > eg > Elwin Guild > Future Development International > Baltimore > elwinandj...@yahoo.co From: "Raffi Aftandelian" <ra...@bk.ru> To: <osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu> Subject: a very simple reason Date: Wednesday, 18 May 2005 3:52 PM There's a very simple reason, I believe, why something else will probably come to replace OST in some 5 years time. I believe that when Harrison says that all there is is Open Space, he is right...but only in reference to our current prevailing worldview, our current paradigm. I believe that a new paradigm is being born right now, it may become clearer in the next 5 years. But we don't talk about new paradigms in polite company. It's kinda like farting loudly. You just don't do it. One way of framing our current paradigm is to open to p.2 of Marv Weisbord and Sandra Janoff's 1995 book "Future Search: An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organizations and Communities."-- The Learning Curve 1900 Experts Solve problems 1950 "Everybody" solves problems 1965 Experts improve whole systems 2000 "Everybody" improves whole systems I recall a number of years back that I wondered, well, what comes after the last paradigm. And now I think I realize that many people have already probably answered the question. I don't think it's appropriate to try to answer it on the listserv, maybe for the same reason that it may no longer be appropriate for you, Harrison, to be on this listserv or to continue "teaching" or "doing" open space. In Goa, if I recall correctly, you spoke about how a new generation of folks have started doing OST, and that maybe it is time for you to step aside. More than six months have passed and you haven't stepped aside. Your baby, OST, is college age, the age of majority. It is voting age, it can get married, it can have children, it can get drafted in the military, and do all the other interesting things in life. Might the walk of the warrior for you, Harrison, be to auction your hat on e-bay and walk out of the circle? Warmly, Raffi mailto:ra...@bk.ru * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
