Hi All,

A couple of months ago, I was perusing the bulletin board at our local co-op grocery store (real world, always on, open space)... and discovered an invitation to a "philosophy discussion group." Okay, sounds like a good place to meet thoughtful, thinking people. So my wife and I go along.

Turns out we're the first two members of the new group, which really wants to be focused on Stoic Philosophy. Now I know he word stoic, but not that it derives from the greek word for porch (stoa), where apparently the Stoics used to yarn about philosophy and how to live a good life.

Since then, I picked up a recommended first read, which would be Marcus Aurelius' Medititations. Yes, emperor of Rome, and a guy who apparently sat down every so often to write himself back into alignment with Stoic teaching, trying to be a better person and better emperor. He wrote for himself, not for publication, didn't give it a title, didn't organize it at all, just pulled out the scroll and jotted a few lines or paragraphs, talking to himself, guided by Stoic teaching.

So what does this have to do with Open Space?

Well, a little way through it, I find myself thinking that this is all feeling very familiar. Where have I heard this sort of thing before? Of course, from our favorite scholar of ancient Greek, Harrison Owen. Now a good bit through MA's Meditations, I'm coming to suspect that Harrison basically translated a good chunk of ancient Greek philosophy into the modern meeting practice we all know and love. Did I miss a footnote somewhere? <grin>

Inspired and guided by Stoic philosophy, MA was apparently, almost 2000 years ago, making notes that sound an awful lot like the four principles, expanding our now, and "when your mind wanders, take your body with it." When MA talks about having two purposes in life, to do good for ourselves and do good for others, I hear it rhymine with learning (feeding, improving myself) and contributing (doing good for others).

So I just wondered if anyone else around here has run into MA's meditations and/or Stoic philosophy and thought any of that sounded familiar. It's been feeling like finding a box full of photos or information about family I didn't know I had. Harrison always said OS wasn't new or his creation, but I'm hearing that differently now.

Anyone else familiar with this? Or ever hear Harrison talk about it? I spent more than my fair share of time listening to his stories, but don't recall any references to it. The only Greek at all was the etymological distinctions between ecology and economics. And a passing reference to logos.

Anyway, do you have any more on this?

m

--

Michael Herman
312-280-7838 (mobile)

MichaelHerman.com
OpenSpaceWorld.org

A feature of the proton email is that it does not tell me who on the list
is writing the email, until, if at all, the person signs it at the end.

So reading your email, I kept thinking, Yes, the person who is most apt to
have had these conversations with Harrison, the person most likely to have
thought about stoicism and OST would be Michal Herman, so that's whom I
would suggest you talk with.

Then I got to your signature line. Well, then, I understand Michael has an
agenda wall in his home where he posts topics for conversations with
himself.

:- Doug. Germann
574 274 5353

Sent with Proton Mail https://proton.me/mail/home secure email.

On Tuesday, May 5th, 2026 at 7:44 PM, Michael Herman via OSList <
everyone@oslist.org> wrote:

Hi All,

A couple of months ago, I was perusing the bulletin board at our local
co-op grocery store (real world, always on, open space)... and discovered
an invitation to a "philosophy discussion group." Okay, sounds like a good
place to meet thoughtful, thinking people. So my wife and I go along.

Turns out we're the first two members of the new group, which really wants
to be focused on Stoic Philosophy. Now I know he word stoic, but not that
it derives from the greek word for porch (stoa), where apparently the
Stoics used to yarn about philosophy and how to live a good life.

Since then, I picked up a recommended first read, which would be Marcus
Aurelius' Medititations. Yes, emperor of Rome, and a guy who apparently sat
down every so often to write himself back into alignment with Stoic
teaching, trying to be a better person and better emperor. He wrote for
himself, not for publication, didn't give it a title, didn't organize it at
all, just pulled out the scroll and jotted a few lines or paragraphs,
talking to himself, guided by Stoic teaching.

So what does this have to do with Open Space?

Well, a little way through it, I find myself thinking that this is all
feeling very familiar. Where have I heard this sort of thing before? Of
course, from our favorite scholar of ancient Greek, Harrison Owen. Now a
good bit through MA's Meditations, I'm coming to suspect that Harrison
basically translated a good chunk of ancient Greek philosophy into the
modern meeting practice we all know and love. Did I miss a footnote
somewhere? <grin>

Inspired and guided by Stoic philosophy, MA was apparently, almost 2000
years ago, making notes that sound an awful lot like the four principles,
expanding our now, and "when your mind wanders, take your body with it."
When MA talks about having two purposes in life, to do good for ourselves
and do good for others, I hear it rhymine with learning (feeding, improving
myself) and contributing (doing good for others).

So I just wondered if anyone else around here has run into MA's
meditations and/or Stoic philosophy and thought any of that sounded
familiar. It's been feeling like finding a box full of photos or
information about family I didn't know I had. Harrison always said OS
wasn't new or his creation, but I'm hearing that differently now.

Anyone else familiar with this? Or ever hear Harrison talk about it? I
spent more than my fair share of time listening to his stories, but don't
recall any references to it. The only Greek at all was the etymological
distinctions between ecology and economics. And a passing reference to
logos.

Anyway, do you have any more on this?

m

--

Michael Herman
312-280-7838 (mobile)

MichaelHerman.com
OpenSpaceWorld.org