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Opening space in the midst of violence

March 6, 2006 By Open Space

Michael Herman writes on Opening Space in Nepal after a series of Maoist attacks on Tansen.   Today Michael reprinted a letter from one of the leaders he was working with in previous visits to Nepal:

The people of Tansen are not hopeless, we Nepalese people’s energy is not swallowed by the fire and bullets. We have hope that the Palpa Durbar comes into its original outlook within a very short time. It’s the dream of Palpali and whole Nepalese people. And we are sure that our dream comes true since we have the sympathy from national and international government, organizations, I/NGOs, supporters, people and all the well wishers.

A very good news to all of us is that a Tansen Reconstruction Team, led by Mr. Ram Bahadur Raut (National Chairperson of NAINN), has been formed very recently in Tansen, Palpa. It’s right time to contribute for the revival of the identity of whole human beings. Nepal Appreciative Inquiry National Network (NAINN) requests all National and International governments, NGOs, INGOs, Donor Agencies, people and well- wishers to make a contribution from your side so that Tansen Durbar can resurrect very soon.

A small drop of water, if collected from many, can fill a large pot.

Really quite remarkable courage and inspiration in the face of violence and terror.   Harrison Owen, in the Practice of Peace, writes that conflict is simply a result of not having enough time and space.   This letter simply shows that to be true.

Been here before

March 5, 2006 By Music


From Vashti Bunyan:

once I had a child
he was wilder than moonlight
he could do it all
like he’d been here before

once I had a child
she was smiling like sunshine
she could see it all
like she’d been here before

then I had a child
took his while like northern summer
and he knows it all
like he’s been here before

This song reminds me of my kids…
mp3: Vashti Bunyan – Here Before

New look website, new content

March 5, 2006 By Uncategorized

If you have been visting here in the last week live, as opposed to through a newsreader, you will have noticed a major change in the look of this weblog.

I’ve also been rocking and rolling behind the scenes.   The rest of my website has been redesigned and is now live.   I built it using pmwiki and some of the open source skins that are out there.

Feel free to have a look around.   I have added several new bits and pieces, including a more substantial list of facilitation resources, additions of stories, resources and notes to the ever growing Open Space Technology pages, a discography with several sound samples of my music and a news and current events page which shows most of what I’m up to.

Oh, and a cheeky 404 page.

InterChange Principles

March 5, 2006 By Art of Hosting, Facilitation

I am proud and lucky to count Toke Moeller as a friend, colleague and teacher. The other day, as I was checking his site for some information for some upcoming Art of Hosting trainings we are doing, I stumbled over his page of principles and assumptions for his work. They are worth reprinting here

Some of our assumptions

  • Organisations have more to do with living organic systems than machines
  • Learning is a core competence in the network society
  • Learning, change and transformation involve a degree of chaos
  • The world is too complex to be led by individuals
  • Sustainable solutions emerge through conversation and collaborative endeavour
  • Conversation and dialogue opens the collective intelligence, wisdom and action
  • Diversity is a gift – not a problem!
  • New insights and understanding are at the heart of reflective living and wise acting

Some of our design principles

  • What is meaningful must always be at the center
  • The combination of good theory, methods and bold practice creates learning
  • Engaging many of our intelligences brings about learning of a higher quality
  • Going from participation to contribution enhances learning
  • Plan for emergence
  • Conscious choice is a precondition for learning
  • Clear context and purpose brings clarity and focus
  • “Less is more!”

Toke is a remarkable host. Seeing these principles in practice is a treat.

Seeing as a creative act

March 5, 2006 By Being 3 Comments

Seeing is one of the capacities we need to take us to presence. Seeing what is truly in front of us is both a learned skill and a a creative act because to see clearly we have to find away around everything that clouds our perception of what we are looking at. From The Circle Project:

Creativity is not the domain of The New; it stands firmly in the land of unimpeded expression where you “see what is there, not what you think should be there.” Remove the limits. Follow the impulse. There is no trick to re-inhabiting your innate creativity. You simply have to see again. It takes work when you are no longer three years old–we’ve all been subjected to the most rigorous dullness training–but it is worth the effort (even the most dismal cubicle has possibilities when you show up unfettered).

Show up unfettered, bring creativity to the act of seeing.