Harrison, Please send me the draft as a Word document. I appreciate OS as an avenue to peace on several levels. Thank you for all you have done through OS to make my life better.
Peace and joy, Jim -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of Harrison Owen Sent: Monday, September 09, 2002 12:02 PM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: The Practice of Peace Dear Friends and Colleagues, Later this week, we will all be remembering where we were on the morning of September 11, 2001. The shock of disbelief, a moment in which everything stood still, including our breath -- and then -- with the return of breath -- out came... For most people receiving this note, there was pain, anger, anguish. But it is well to remember that for many others, the reaction was quite different. Joy and cries of Victory in celebration of blows struck in retribution for abuses, perceived and real. In an instant, the lethal divisions of our world became agonizingly clear. During this past year, I found myself on a journey in the company of many others, Looking for Peace, and the means to achieve it. For myself, it has been a rich and painful trip. Old notions dissolved in the heat of present reality, and new approaches shimmered like a desert mirage, only to disappear upon approach. Part of this journey was intensely physical, taking me through The Middle East and Serbia where I met wonderful people who's daily experience was anything but peaceful. And part of the journey was deeply interior, as I faced my own dark places. Along the way, I made notes to myself, mostly for therapy, but some of these notes seemed to have broader interest, and I shared the results with many of you. Almond Tree Blossoms and Tears captured the experience of The Middle East. And then in early June I offered my perceptions of a most remarkable gathering in Rome with 50 incredible Palestinians and Israelis. The year is almost done, but the search for Peace has just begun. This incredible 365 days has concluded (for me) with the completion of a new book, which I call, The Practice of Peace. It has no publisher at the moment, although I am hopeful that my publisher Steve Piersanti, and all the good folks at Berrett-Koehler, will consider the project. In the interim, I make bold to freely offer you a DRAFT copy -- for two reasons. First reason -- I think it might actually do some good. As you might expect from me, the core practice has a lot to do with Open Space. Hence we are not dealing with a new, untried approach. Second reason -- I need your help. I believe the approach is solid, and the presentation is in pretty good shape. But those are my thoughts, and I need yours. What works? What doesn't work? etc, etc, etc. If you would like a copy, send me an email. I will send you the DRAFT as an attachment in any one of four formats, PDF (Adobe), RTF, DOC (Word), or WPD (WordPerfect). The book is 150 pages (.45 meg) -- so make sure you want it before you ask. I look forward to hearing from you. Harrison Harrison Owen 7808 River Falls Drive Potomac, MD 20854 USA phone 301-365-2093 Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com <http://www.openspaceworld.com/> Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org <http://www.openspaceworld.org/> Personal website www.mindspring.com\~owenhh <http://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