A different way of coming to a decision…

To my good friends–

Here are my notes from the last day of the OSonOS in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They describe a remarkable process.

Yesterday was a different experience. When it came time to decide where to go for next year’s OSonOS, 2 invitations were given: Moscow and Edinburgh. I was initially not wanting Moscow, partially because of the manner in which the person inviting was approaching our group–I was annoyed. Someone said at the beginning of the 3 days to sit with your annoyance–and that was remembered out loud in this circle of all of us. It started slowly with comments about pluses and minuses and whom all we should have in mind and the work being done by OSonOS (such as helping to boost a local developing practice community) and the costs and accessibility. A couple people called the whole a process of “discernment.” The time people used walking to the center to pick up the microphone gave a pause so comments and questions could sink in. The pace gradually quickened and soon one could barely find a waiting time between them–the spaces were disappearing, the betweens were melding together. Then one Edinburgh inviter said that his heart was drawn too to Moscow, as mine was being drawn, and we all stood and gave an ovation to our decision to go to Moscow.

Amazing process, involving people from many cultures, not all Western, coming to a process that must be primal, part of our common body memory. And maybe it is an ideal we were remembering and putting to work.

:- Doug.

Published in: Conversations | on October 16th, 2005 | No Comments »

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