28 June 2005

OSM Lunch 002

Yesterday We held the second Open Source Minds Lunch with the addition of two new members: Ms. Ivette Cases and Mr. Ramón Barquín III. To say it was a success may sound like self-flattery (for The Group, not The Jenius) but any observer of the interactions, conversations, reactions and expressions of the people participating can only come to the conclusion that the gathering fulfilled its purpose of fomenting and developing ideas for Our Future.

And no, this was not some somber, agenda-driven, pie-in-the-sky "we want world peace" meeting. It was fun and free-form and multi-leveled, ranging from technology to education to marketing to science and public relations. With amazing consistency, a table-wide discussion would break into small chats, all related in some way to the main topic and then branching out into other themes and ideas.

If it sounds like chaos, it was. If it seems creative, it was. If it doesn't seem productive, you are wrong. Productivity is not a number, but a result. To truly make changes, one must seek far beyond the superficial solutions and dig deep. Changes are a matter of leverage and finding the crucial point where the largest effect can be created with the least amount of force. Nothing worth doing right is worth doing hastily, without time to explore and understand. The difference between the banter of Open Source Minds and the endless drivel of other groups (Senate, House, ISOCPR, Center for New Economy, et al) is that We speak in order to act for a greater good, not just to make noise about how we can hide personal interests under the disguise of "the greater good."

Is OSM a fount of nobility? No. We seek to see Our efforts rewarded beyond the satisfaction that "charity" supposedly enforces. We merely choose to see Our Future improved first, knowing that benefits--if We seek them--will naturally follow. Think of it as the tide rising and raising every boat with it. OSM aims to raise the tide...not the boat.

The Jenius Has Spoken.

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