The Art of Harvesting
Two sides of one thing
The art of hosting meaningful conversations – and the art of harvesting meaningful conversations are two sides of the same effort – namely to “amplify” our brains and our hearts, or to engage our collective intelligence and wisdom to find the emergent and sustainable solutions to complex challenges.
There is a popular quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes…
“I would not give a fig for simplicity on this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.”
We sometimes wonder if the Art of Hosting and Harvesting Meaningful conversations is not a gateway to the simplicity on the other side of complexity – even if the road to the other side goes through chaos - journeying past our fear and confusion to find the next level of clarity and useful pattern for movement.....
“Chaos is creativity in search of form.”
Two different qualities
Even if we are talking in the art of hosting and harvesting meaningful conversations about one thing, the nature of these two “activities” may differ.
If the work of the facilitator or host is to engage everyone to speak “their truth”, listen openly, trying to understand differing views and to bring their best to the table and work at hand; the“harvesters´” focus is on capturing the wisdom, remembering, seeing patterns and making meaning – and then making this meaning ‘visible’ and available.
It is as if the hosting is animating the discovery and learning process –whereas harvesting is trying to embed the insights and learning - to make them as relevant and useful in our own context as possible.
Monica offering her perspective on the art of harvesting for leaders in health care in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Art of Harvesting teach, AoH Belgium March 2008
