Mainly referring to LO19040, but also other messages
Dear LO-ers,
I saved only a small part of a message of At de Lange:
> To become aware that a particular system thinking can be a horrible
> system which causes deep hurt, was not easy and simple for me. During
> the sixties, some systems thinkers in South Africa began to
> distinguish in the "apartheid system" between "klein apartheid"
> (petty apartheid) and "groot apartheid" (grand apartheid). "Petty
> apartheid" entailed the separation of Europeans and Non-europeans in
> all walks of life, especially in minute details such as saparate
> entrances and amenities. "Grand apartheid" entailed the separation of
> people of different cultures in self-governing states. (Maybe Les Lax
> can tell us more about it.)
May I add something to this seemingly political item. I will try to turn
it in our own life and living, because I have learned from reactions of
'the -man-in-the-street' that most international problems don't make a
fruitfull connection: "it is too far from my own bed".
During the years of apartheid in South Africa the rest of the world formed
its opinion and decided to boycot South Africa. It is still a popular
means of making clear that TROW does not like internal political systems.
But in fact, a boycot is the very same method used for a political system
against one is protesting, namely APARTHEID. In this case the isolation of
a whole country. In At's words: Grand Apartheid. I guess only a few people
realise this.
But now apartheid within your own organisation. Are there sections or
departments which are boycotted? Maybe not officially, and should we speak
of ignoring. And in a more detailed scale: are there colleagues and fellow
workers who are ignored?
The results of apartheid could still be observed very nearby in your own
environment. I hope that the lessons of South Africa and the eyes which
are opened by At will help us te recognise the effects of apartheid and
ways to heal the wounds.
dr. Leo D. Minnigh
minnigh@library.tudelft.nl
Library Technical University Delft
PO BOX 98, 2600 MG Delft, The Netherlands
Tel.: 31 15 2782226
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Let your thoughts meander towards a sea of ideas.
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--Leo Minnigh <L.D.Minnigh@library.tudelft.nl>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>