[Oe List ...] Our Legacy: Next Steps?

Sat Dec 18 20:29:57 CST 2010

The programs we developed, modified and in some cases            discarded over the years.
Gordon, what happened to University 13?

My ESL English would not meet "someone else ...." challenge, but thanks for your continuing professorial guidance.  Your four points can be made into a good speech!

Jaime

-----Original Message-----
From: Gordon Harper <top-nw at clear.net>
To: Order Ecumenical Community <oe at wedgeblade.net>; Colleague Dialogue <dialogue at wedgeblade.net>
Sent: Sun, Dec 19, 2010 12:19 pm
Subject: [Oe List ...] Our Legacy: Next Steps?

              Many thanks to all of you who        contributed your lists of what our community's legacy has to        include.  These are gathered now on the Repository (http://wiki.wedgeblade.net/bin/view/Main/BrainStorm), and we'll add others to the page as they        appear.  That your thoughts had a role in sparking the wonderful        "Yes" initiative of the Cocks and Holcombes, as well as all the        yesses that generated, makes for a delightful Christmas        combination.

        Perhaps it's time to see if we can carry this one step further        yet.  The marvelous listing we've generated, however meaningful        to those of us who were there, wouldn't mean much to one who        wasn't.  We're currently hoping to pass on or at least make        available some of these pieces of our legacy to another        generation in the ICA / Oklahoma City University OIKOS        partnership.  What would most help us do that?

        I find myself looking for two things now that could build on        what we've started.  

First, an intuitive gestalt.           If some of us would take a            shot at saying now what the three, four or six major aspects            of our legacy consist of, I'd find that rather            thrilling--and some of these might form the basis for future            conversations with that Oklahoma crowd.  These key elements            or components would again be an individual, very personal  take or witness on our heritage, none complete or            perfect, but they could catalyze another level of great            dialogue.  Can we still "go snake eyes" on such a list?

            Maybe we could think of this as akin to what Randy Williams            did so beautifully this past summer at the OIKOS gathering,            when he, along with David Dunn's help I believe on the Power            Point, presented a succinct and intelligible depiction of            our life and work to the assembled faculty and students.             What if each of us had just been tapped to sum up and            explain who we are and what our community might have of            value to share with future members of the League?  What            would our 4 x 4 look like?

            These wouldn't have to be as terse as most items on our            brainstorm list (skip the three-to-five words requirement,            as many of you helpfully did in your brainstorms).  Each            could be a sentence or even a paragraph, as we prefer.

Second, some expanded            explanation, preferably in generally accepted English, of            items we listed in the brainstorm.  "Imaginal Education"            requires a paragraph or two just to give others a fleeting            glimpse or whispery taste of what those words point to.             Same with "religious houses" or "two suitcases."  One of us            might start on one of these, and others chime in with            additional detail, which would be great.   Again, as these are generated, Len and            I will try to add them to the Repository (or you of course            could do that yourself).    

            (This makes me think of that old ICA Glossary that            some of the young interns initiated and their successors            continued to add to over the years, that circulated in the            old Phoenix office.  It was their explanation to each other            of commonly used terms that newbies would hear in the course            of their daily work.  Be fun to see it, if someone from down            there still has it on a computer.)  

    So, those are my two suggestions for        ways to pursue the conversation and contribute further to the        legacy discussion.  I'm going to kick it off with my own four        points for the proposed talk.  The foundational things about our        legacy that I'd want to hit (at least at this moment) would be:

        ---------------------

Our Methods.  The amazing set            of intellectual, social and spirit methodologies that we            developed, tested on ourselves and then took to the world.             These of course include but go way beyond ToP.

 Building a Movement.  Our            understanding of what made for authentic community, our            attempt to demonstrate a form of missional and disciplined            intentional community and to build that outward in the            symbolic, movemental and extended order and in the local and            organizational communities with which we worked.

Our Foundational Assumptions.             The core beliefs about the way life is that we operated out            of, that held us together, that we sought to embody and            communicate in things like RS-I, our singing and rituals and            our projects.

Our Historical Journey.  The            stories of how we began and what happened to us along the            way.  The programs we developed, modified and in some cases            discarded over the years.  What we sought to awaken or put            in place as we tried to discern and respond to the call and            claim on our lives.

    ------------------------

      Well, there's my first run at a talk I        have no intention of ever giving.  Ask me tomorrow, and it will        almost certainly be different.  I can't imagine even lightly        brushing all of this in as succinct a fashion as Randy managed        in his presentation.  Still, as we all know, in the lecture method you start with lots more than you'll        finally use.    

      OK, have a great holiday, everyone, and        as facilitators as fond of saying, "Someone else . . . !"

      Gordon

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