To Harrison's point:
Shortly after the close of the Bosnian War, I facilitated an Open Space for the
USAID sponsored Democracy Network project.
Assembled were "leaders" of the three warring factions, Croates, Bosniacs and
Serbs.
At the close the participants held a totally self-organized party, complete
with live music and more than enough food and drink. There was plenty of
dancing and singing.
If you didn't know better, you would have said someone had just gotten married.
There's hope. Go to work!
Elwin GuildFuture Development InternationalPortland, CT
On Friday, February 25, 2022, 08:03:37 AM EST, Harold Shinsato via OSList
<[email protected]> wrote:
[This is from Harrison Owen because he is having trouble posting and
asked me to send this on his behalf. - Harold]
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
--
7808 River Falls Drive Potomac, MD 20854 USA 301-365-2093
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