Dear Harrison this is brilliant. Thank you.
Although a Brit I have a strong connection with the US and many American friends and colleagues. Consequently, I care very much about the political landscape in America. I was not surprised he won. I said he would as much as 12 months ago and was laughed at. But I knew he would simply because of what you observe. I have some more thoughts which I might try and express later today. warm wishes to all Amanda Amanda Bucklow Independent Commercial Mediator http://facilit8.com <http://facilit8.com/> http://learning.facilit8.com <http://learning.facilit8.com/> - unique online mediation skills simulation app M: +44 (0)7976 924995 Skype: facilit8 SkypeIn: +44 (0)20 7097 8638 IDRC 70 Fleet Street London EC4Y 1EU > On 28 Nov 2016, at 15:24, Harrison Owen via OSList > <[email protected]> wrote: > > The American election occurred almost three weeks ago. Curiously, not a word > has been uttered here on OSLIST. Obviously this was an American election, but > it seems very much of a global phenomenon. It is also true that over the > years we have typically avoided politics of whatever sort. However, I think > the case can be made that while politics, nationally and internationally, are > very much a part of what is transpiring – The issues are much deeper and more > profound. Creating space for useful, civil conversations is critical, and we > know something about that. Ho > > Ps – I have offered a few thoughts below. > > *************************************************************************************** > Donald Trump Was Not elected by Martians > > I experienced the election of Donald Trump as a massive shock. That said, it > must be affirmed that he won fair and square – albeit with a little help from > an arcane institution: The Electoral College. Curiously, there were several > million more people voting for Hillary than Donald. But never mind – he won. > And Donald Trump was not elected by Martians. > > The Donald’s victory is appalling to me for many reasons, which need not be > reiterated. But it is a fact. He won. The Donald is also a recognizable > American Type, perhaps more in the mold of The Robber Barons or Al Capone, > but definitely, “American.” Actually, he is his own Brand, or so he would > have you believe. > > More to the point, he was elected by Americans. These Americans are my fellow > citizens, a disparate bunch for sure, and some of them are neighbors, > relatives, even friends. How could they do this? > > You will not miss the pain and incredulity of my question. However, in the > interests of transparency, I have a confession to make. I am an endangered > species, one of a vanishing few: a certified WASP. Skin color, definitely > light, Anglo-Saxon for sure, and Protestant of the Episcopalian sort. Old > Philadelphian, Socially Registered, all the proper schools. In short: WASP > > And I lived in a bubble. It is true that I have traveled the world, living > and working on every continent (save Antarctica) – for corporations, > governments and very small villages. I have heard much, and seen more – but > you never get out of your skin. That bubble goes with you. The election of > Donald Trump popped my bubble. I have to thank him for that. > > The revelation experienced has little to do with a sudden perception of the > issues involved. Some of those issues were less familiar, but few were > strangers. Indeed, I seem to have worked with them all. What I missed (or > miss-gauged) was more fundamental: Fear. Deep, existential Fear. The Germans > would say Angst. > > The source of all this anxiety? I suspect the culprit is none other than > Change. Deep, radical Change... with no end in sight. All 7.5+ billion of us > are in the midst of a transformative moment. Every organization, institution, > or social structure worldwide is being pushed to the edge of breaking – and > beyond. The Pillars of the Earth, the central structures, the things we count > on.... are on shaking ground. It is all called CHANGE with a very capitol C. > Terrifying – if you stop to think about it. > > Remarking that the world is changing has become a tattered cliché. And > curiously, on the American political scene, a leading theme is the need for > CHANGE! Both Obama (“Change you can believe in”) and Trump played that card. > We seem to be asking for more of our most frightening nightmare. > The insanity of this paradox resolves once the nature of our desired change > is specified. More often than not, the hoped for Change is, “Back to the good > old days.” That could be days as they actually were, or more usually, days as > we might wish them to have been. The “American Dream” being a good example. > > That there is The Dream is a fact, and it has had the beneficial effect of > pushing and sucking us along. But suggesting that The Dream represents an > assured reality, guaranteed for life, is a cruel hoax perpetrated by naive > dreamers and frauds alike, but for differing reasons. The net effect, > however, is the same: Massive disillusion, anger and ultimately – Fear. The > world we expected, the world we were “promised” is never going to happen. It > could be something better, maybe something different – but definitely not “as > promised.” > > You can see the pickle we have created for ourselves. How we got here is the > core of the present debate. The virtually universal response is, Somebody did > something wrong, followed quickly by strong condemnation, all combined with > multiple “sure-fire” fixes. Somewhere there must be The Plan, The Leader, or > best of all, The Leader with The Plan... > > In case you hadn’t noticed, we are still waiting... Then again, perhaps we > are looking at things in the wrong way? > > What we take to be error, chaos and confusion, the ending and dissolution of > life... may be quite different. What we are experiencing could be a critical > aspect of life’s ongoing, natural process. Like crustaceans (crabs, for > example), we create a comfortable shelter (shells) in which we happily grow. > I might also say, bubble. We are protected until that inevitable day when we > are just too much “crab” for our accommodations. A serious choice has to be > made. Shed the shell or die! Of course, shedding the shell makes one totally > vulnerable to any passing critter searching for a tender, tasty meal. > Terrifying! > > Following this analogy, we have created many shells called “Political > Systems,” “Scientific Theories,” “Social Mores,” “Cultures” – each one > providing a momentary safe space for a few lucky inhabitants. We have done > this again and again, in parallel and sequentially. For better than a million > years, we as a species (Homo sapiens), have evolved – engaging, surpassing, > and on occasion, eliminating, our cousins (Homo whatever), and other fellow > travelers on Planet Earth. As a species, we have done quite well (so far), > albeit with some collateral damage. > > For those protected by new and emerging “shells,” this is known as Progress. > For all other creatures, there are different names. The weakest version may > be “Change,” but stronger varieties include: pain, deceit, catastrophe, > calamity. Viewed from the point of view of the evolution of our species, we > simply couldn’t be what we are, had we not been what we’ve been, and overall > we haven’t done that badly. Other species will take a less charitable view. > > Simply put – our present, evolved position is a direct result of our moving > from shell to shell (bubble to bubble). For all those questioning the > positive nature of this evolution, I suggest an immediate re-location in any > handy cave – presuming you find one unoccupied by a Saber-tooth or other > nasty creature. > > Now to the point: The Donald represents another Shell/Bubble. Not a very good > one, I submit, but never the less, a covering space for those who think, > hope, believe – that he can somehow give them shelter in the storm. As with > pudding, the test will be in the eating. Should the shell prove effective, it > will last for whatever time. Then it too will pass. > > There are those who hope and expect the Trumpian Shell to endure. Adolph > Schicklgruber was promising a 1000 years, but fortunately life moved on and > change came sooner. How long we will be stuck with The Donald is anybody’s > guess. In the mean time, we might just as well get on with life – for surely > life is getting on with us. As usual. > > And we can help. Our plottings, plans, and procedures are interesting of > course, but perhaps more important is doing what we can to keep a little > space open so that Life has room to grow. Who knows what wonder and majesty > will emerge all by itself. > > Winter Address > 7808 River Falls Dr. > Potomac, MD 20854 > 301-365-2093 > > Summer Address > 189 Beaucauire Ave > Camden, ME 04843 > 207 763-3261 > > Websites > www.openspaceworld.com <http://www.openspaceworld.com/> > www.ho-image.com <http://www.ho-image.com/> > > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list > To post send emails to [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]> > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]> > To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org > <http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org> > Past archives can be viewed here: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] > <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]>
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