Thank you Harrison 😊 Romy Shovelton Executive Director Wikima and The 5* Tyddyn Retreat - Mid Wales Venue & Holiday Cottages www.walescottageandvenue.com [email protected] +44 7767 370739
Sent from my iPhone > On 25 Feb 2022, at 06:10, Michael M Pannwitz via OSList > <[email protected]> wrote: > > Dear OSLIST, > > am happy to pass on what HO tried to post to our listserve... see below and > also here: >> https://openspaceworldscape.org/events/244-imams-and-rabbis-for-peace > > > It all happened in Sevilla (not Barcelona) a symbol of the peaceful and deep > co-existence of Muslims, Jews and Christians several hundred years ago... > > Love and Peace > mmp > > -------- Weitergeleitete Nachricht -------- > Betreff: My addition > Datum: Thu, 24 Feb 2022 16:46:52 -0500 > Von: Harrison Owen SR <[email protected]> > An: Michael M Pannwitz <[email protected]> > > > > I loved what you wrote and tried to post my feelings on OSLIST -- but somehow > it all hit "tilt." So if you like what I wrote and can post it -- that would > be great. ho > > ------------------------------------------------------- > > > Harrison Owen SR <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> > > > 4:37 PM (6 minutes ago) > > to oslist-openspacetech.org-confirm+964cd63f311f0710b777780819769d2068ff01e6 > > > Michael Panwitz's response was superb and brought back many memories. Michael > and I teamed to produce some open space for 250 Rabbis and Imams -- as he > said. But they weren't just "any" Imams and Rabbis. They were the lead guys > in such places as Jerusalem, Paris, New York, Istanbul -- and all around the > world. How we got into all this, I truly don't know, but there it was in > Barcelona, Spain. The theme: "Peace." Talk about Conflict and High Dama. > > The sponsors had decided that since the attendees were a rather formal sort, > we should not jump right into Open Space, but rather ease in. So the meeting > began with the usual dais, speakers, and everybody sitting rows. Personally, > I can't stand meetings like that, so I did not attend, but somewhere around > noon, I was walking through the massive atrium of the hotel when I heard the > conference organizer (the guy who does all the work) yelling "Harrison, > Harrison..". He caught up to me, and asked -- "How quickly can you do Open > Space? It is Chaos in there (the main auditorium)." "The Imam from Paris is > standing on the dais screaming at the Chief Rabbi from Jerusalem..." > > I replied -- that depended totally on the hotel staff and how quickly they > could make a circle out of rows of chairs. To give them plenty of time, I > suggested a three hour lunch break. That might sound extreme, but not unheard > of in Barcelona and other parts of the world. It would also provide a good > cooling off period. > > At 3:00 pm the 250 Rabbis and Imams walked into a transformed environment -- > one big circle. There was a quiet buzz, radically different from the > cacophony of the morning. What a difference a circle can make. I stood at the > edge to welcome the people and said simply that we are here to find our way > in peace. Then walking slowly around the circle I invited each person to > notice all the others, locating those they knew, would like to know -- and > all the strangers. When I reached the point of my beginning I stopped to > enjoy the silence which was deep and pregnant. You could hear a pin drop. > > You know what happened next. I moved to the center of the circle to quickly > explain about posting issues, The Five Principles, One Law, Bumble Bees and > Butterflies -- with a final admonition to */Be prepared to be surprised... > /* And then an invitation to any one who cared to post their issue. Total > silence. > > One by one, and soon small groups... participants moved to the center to take > a piece of paper and write their issue. I stood quietly, and as each person > became ready I gave them the microphone along with the suggestion that they > keep their remarks as brief as possible. But clearly the group had different > ideas -- and they made the space their own. Each announcement became a 5-10 > minute "sermonet" offered with feeling but real respect. For more than two > hours we proceeded in that fashion and the group as a whole listened to every > word. Perhaps some people left, but I didn't notice. But what I did notice > was that I was personally exhausted. It is amazing what happens when you are > in the vortex of all that swirling energy even if you are apparently doing > nothing. I just had to go. When I had the opportunity, I handed the > microphone to Michael, said thank you, and walked out. > > I had no question that everything would work out perfectly. And as Michael > has described, the people quickly came to a conclusion and adjourned for the > evening. The next morning we met briefly in the circle, but since all the > issues were posted there was really nothing to do but -- Go to work. Which we > did. The issue groups met in the huge atrium of the hotel. Everyone > contributed to the common buzz in the multiple languages of the participants. > Great intensity, but also quiet respect. It seemed like the most natural > thing in the world. > > On this first night of the invasion of Ukraine, the peace, respect and > passion of Barcelona might seem a distant dream. But it is also a hopeful > one. It can happen again. However, we have a lot of space to open -- not just > in the Ukraine. There are 8 billion of us affected by what is taking place > and there are not nearly enough atrium hotels to accommodate the crowd. New > ways of opening space are obviously required and finding them will be both > challenging and sometimes very scary. But we do have a lot of experience and > it is time to get to work. Good luck ! > > Harrison > > > > > -- > Michael M Pannwitz > Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin > +49 30 7728000 [email protected] > > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list > To post send emails to [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] > To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org > Past archives can be viewed here: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] _______________________________________________ OSList mailing list To post send emails to [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org Past archives can be viewed here: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
