I suppose I could blame all this on good old Ralph, who is without question one of my oldest and dearest friends. Or maybe it is the springtime - at least here in the Northern Hemisphere. Sap rising -- and all that sort of thing. Then again, it may just be the re-appearance of one of my favorite roles - The Old Curmudgeon. But it really isn't about blame (on Ralph's head or anybody's head) - and Springtime Spirits are always to be celebrated, even when they are dancing a rather different jig. Which leaves the Old Curmudgeon, but you must be the judge.
I guess I just want us all to take a deep breath and pause for a thought. We might just remember that "we" here on OSLIST constitute some 400+ folks from all over the world -- having different cultures, different sensitivities, different first languages, different feelings about what is on the edge, and what may be "over" the edge. We are also a very public discussion - Global, to put it straightly. And for some folks - this is their first introduction to Open Space, and hopefully not be their last. Now it is quite true that OSLIST is all about Open Space. It is even more true that we must walk our talk, and BE an Open Space. But the electronic medium that we are using (a listserve - one of the oldest and clunkiest) has certain limitations. IT CAN BE VERY HARD TO USE THE LAW OF TWO FEET. Yes, we all do have the DELETE button. But it is also true that every item on this LIST comes up in linear fashion. You have to click on it to see what is happening. To be sure you can then consign the item to the great cyber-beyond. Unless, of course, you are sufficiently upset that you consign the whole OSLIST to the great cyber-beyond. At which point we - that is all the rest of us - lose something very precious - YOU! So, I rather think of this great electronic confabulation as an on-going Talking Stick Ceremony. You all know the rules. If you have the Stick, you talk. If you don't (have the stick), you listen. And in either case you talk or listen with respect. Respect for yourself - and so you must speak your truth. And respect for your listeners, so that you speak your truth in a way that may be heard. God forbid that we turn this OSLIST into a boring sea of mush and political correctness. And when it comes to edges, and walking on edges, I have done no small amount of that myself - and have no intention of reforming. However, I also think we share a Trust - to continue our tradition of speaking our truth with respect. The Old Curmudgeon Harrison Owen 7808 River Falls Drive Potomac, Maryland 20845 Phone 301-365-2093 Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com <http://www.openspaceworld.com/> Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org Personal website http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist