At 12:40 AM 2/2/01 +0000, you wrote:
So when you ask, " what are the special and different conditions that are at work during OST?" I guess I have to say -- nothing new. Just life. (...) Don't do Open Space. Just live.
No disagreement... and I think this might be a case where my American English became a little obscure. When I say -- "Just live" I don't understand that to be nothing, or in any sense trivial. Creating an environment in which people can be fully themselves ("Just live") is indeed a major contribution. I think that is what we do. But the point is we can't give them what they already have. However, we may give them an insight to the gifts they already have, should they choose to use them. At some level it is all about choice, and the fact (I think) that people really do have it. Even in a fascist state -- or its somewhat less Draconian re-incarnation in the contemporary corporation (small joke), people have choices. To be sure the cost sometimes appears to be impossibly high, but the choices remain. They can choose to be their full selves, and take the consequences. Or they can choose to put up with the current situation (whatever that might be) and take a different set of consequences. But the choices remain, as do the consequences. Maybe the gift of Open Space is to radically confront folks with their choices? Harrison Harrison Owen 7808 River Falls Drive Potomac, MD 20854 USA phone 301-469-9269 fax 301-983-9314 Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org Personal website www.mindspring.com/~owenhh osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html