Yup...extrememly practical. I'm saying the same thing. It's an on the ground response to what is going on in a big way, nothing more grounded or practical than opening space when shit happens.
Chris On 3/7/06, Harrison Owen <[email protected]> wrote: > > I guess my thought was a bit more practical. These architects and > government > folks (and others) could use a lot of help doing what they say they want > to > do. Who knows if it will do any good, but it seemed that the least we > might > do is give them a hand. I confess that when I first heard the presentation > mentioned, I along with everybody else in the room sat in stunned silence. > Definitely an "Oh Shit" moment. Truthfully, the information provided was > not > essentially new to me -- albeit the immediacy was. As I recovered a bit, > it > occurred to me that there was an enormous opportunity here as well as > extreme danger. The scenario is so much bigger than any of us or our > "little" issues (peace, war, famine, plague -- to say nothing of the > "economy") that it might just serve to put all the rest in some sort of > useful context. And, who knows it might just get some useful conversations > started. > > Harrison > > Harrison Owen > 7808 River Falls Drive > Potomac, Maryland 20854 > Phone 301-365-2093 > Skype hhowen > Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com > Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org > Personal website www.ho-image.com > OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the > archivesVisit: www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > > -----Original Message----- > From: OSLIST [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Michael > Herman > Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 1:35 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: The End of Quiet Time > > Here's another thought, not to oversimplify or otherwise diminish the > consequences of what is coming, but to offer a slightly different > view. > > What if these changes made in the environment were already too big to > stop? What makes us think that we could coordinate control of > planetary weather in the first place? What if rather than stopping > the changes, we learned to *move* better? What if the buildings we > needed were not "green", but mobile, for instance? And work, what if > it was more mobile? But, of course, work already is getting more > mobile! > > Chris suggests 'NOT being part of the problem.' This in itself is a > huge piece of work, possibly impossible. The systems we have are the > problem and we're inescapable part of most of those. Why not just > write off the losses of this real estate and move on? Because we all > hold currencies and other assets, and buy food and insurance and heat, > in markets that would go nuts if we did this all at once. The good > news, if there is such a thing, is that we don't have to do it all at > once. I would say that I'm looking for ways to be part of new ways of > living, and that new life seems to be all kinds of 'movement'. > > The story Chris quotes in my weblog is amazing to me. It shows me > that Life can go on. Life keeps moving. This is what I try to > practice... movement. Flexible, lively, smart but porous, loosely > formed and constantly informed boundaries and bodies and plans. And I > try to do this as visibly as I can, as invitation, teaching, and > contribution. I think most of us are doing this on some level, and > this is what I think we might look for all kinds of large and small > ways to do more of. Make more moves, tell more stories, invite more > friends, support more connections. > > Every movement, from deepest inner to broadest social, is practice > that matters, or so it seems to me just now. > > Michael > > > > > > On 3/7/06, Chris Corrigan <[email protected]> wrote: > > Harrison: > > > > Even in the vast Open Spaces within which we work, there is really a > tiny > > closed space upon which we work. The earth is a closed system, for the > most > > part, and no amount of useful material or help from outside is > forthcoming > > to save us from ourselves. > > > > And so, the answers as always, are to open more space within, because > unless > > we seek some radical transformation in our ways of doing things, > scenarios > > like this may well come to pass. And if they do... > > > > Some of us, including some of us here on the list like Ralph Copleman, > Peggy > > Holman and John Engle, have been talking about seeing Open Space and > other > > dialogue and deliberation processes as essential tools for dealing with > > massive crises brought about by climate change or catastrophes. I have > > personally spoken with David Korten, the author of a several pieces on " > The > > Perfect Economic Storm" (collapse of the US$, climate change and peak > oil > > happening at the same time) and he's a big supporter of much much deeper > > engagement of people in local communities in first preventing these > kinds > of > > scenarios, and later on, dealing with them well. I've written more > about > > this at my weblog. > > > > I think, as Katrina and the Asian tsunami has taught us, dealing with > large > > scale and sudden change demands wise action. In Sri Lanka, a group > called > > Sarvodaya, who make community empowerment their spiritual practice, were > > first on the ground with support and logistics after the tsunami because > > they make a practice of doing this kind of work. Michael Herman's > recent > > posting on his weblog points to a group of Nepalese leaders who are > doing > > the same in the face of a civil war. > > > > The world has much need of those who make engagement, collaboration, > > empowerment and facilitation a regular practice. When the skills are > really > > needed, there will be no time to learn them. > > > > We could certainly raise the alarm, but my inclination is to work in two > > areas on activity: try my best NOT to be a part of the problem, and keep > > myself prepared for the problems that may find us nonetheless. > > > > Chris > > > > -- > > > > CHRIS CORRIGAN > > Consultation - Facilitation > > Open Space Technology > > > > Weblog: http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot > > Site: http://www.chriscorrigan.com * * > > ========================================================== > > [email protected] ------------------------------ To > subscribe, > > unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of > > [email protected]: > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To > > learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist > > > -- > > Michael Herman > Michael Herman Associates > 300 West North Ave #1105 > Chicago IL 60610 USA > Phone: 312-280-7838 > [email protected] > > skype: globalchicago > > http://www.michaelherman.com > http://www.openspaceworld.org > > Executive Facilitation ...getting > the most important things done in > the easiest possible ways. > > * > * > ========================================================== > [email protected] > ------------------------------ > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of [email protected]: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist > > * > * > ========================================================== > [email protected] > ------------------------------ > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of [email protected]: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist > -- CHRIS CORRIGAN Consultation - Facilitation Open Space Technology Weblog: http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot Site: http://www.chriscorrigan.com * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected]: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
