Global Integrity 4

 Facing Ourselves

Moral wholeness for a whole world

Integrity is moral wholeness—living consistently in moral wholeness. Its opposite is corruption, the distortion, perversion, and deterioration of moral goodness, resulting in the exploitation of people. Global integrity is moral wholeness at all levels in our world—from the individual to the institutional to the international. Global integrity is requisite for “building the future we want—being the people we need.” It is not easy, it is not always black and white, and it can be risky. These entries explore the many facets of integrity with a view towards the global efforts to promote sustainable development and wellbeing.

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Integrity is a way of being. It reflects the good in us, the positive side of human nature. It requires us to face up to our own strengths and weaknesses. It is nurtured through:

--a vigilant awareness of our human tendency toward self-deception and rationalization as well as our heroic aspirations to do good

--a virtuous humility to admit our vulnerability to not getting integrity right as well as for distorting and diluting our moral responsibilities

--a voluntary commitment to outside support and accountability from healthy friendships, organizations, and communities as well as relevant codes of ethics.

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“From the Armenian genocide at the dawn of the 20th century to the horrors of Darfur at the threshold of the 21st century, the human capacity for evil is as jilting as it is unfathomable. Even more disturbing is our calculated silence and rationalized inaction in response to such atrocities. The reality of evil and suffering, from the horrors of genocide to the darkness of our own hearts, is pervasive and perplexing....

Are we wired for self-deception? From a social psychology perspective, our need to calm cognitive dissonance [the disconcerting sense of disharmony between our ideal self and actual self] compels us to distort our memories, our motivations and our morality. Or, to paraphrase Walter Lippmann on a personal level, there can be no liberty for the individual who lacks the means by which to detect his or her own self-deceptions. So how do we pursue a virtuous life, how do we, in the words of Solzhenitsyn, recognize [in ourselves] “the line separating good and evil that passes through every human heart”? ... [We must] consider the challenge of personal responsibility and what may contribute to moral courage and everyday heroism or destructive inaction and self-justification in the face of evil and suffering.”

Facing Up to the Challenge of Evil and Suffering (2013), Friends of the Trinity Forum, Geneva-Genève. (Excerpts from the Introduction and Conclusion, Michèle Lewis O’Donnell, pp. 4, 33).

Applications

--How do you understand the potential for evil in yourself?

--What psychological framework or worldview informs your understanding?

--What practical safeguards do you have to discern and deal with self-deception?
--Give a personal example of ordinary heroism--the other and  more positive side of human nature.

Global Integrity 3

We Have a Problem

Moral wholeness for a whole world

Integrity is moral wholeness—living consistently in moral wholeness. Its opposite is corruption, the distortion, perversion, and deterioration of moral goodness, resulting in the exploitation of people. Global integrity is moral wholeness at all levels in our world—from the individual to the institutional to the international. Global integrity is requisite for “building the future we want—being the people we need.” It is not easy, it is not always black and white, and it can be risky. These entries explore the many facets of integrity with a view towards the global efforts to promote sustainable development and wellbeing.

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Leadership Qualities

Hubris for Humans or Humility for Humanity?

“We have a leadership problem!...The Lausanne Leadership Development Working Group was created to respond to [the] need for Christ-like leaders.  The working group [was] made up of a cross section of global senior leaders…many of whom are specifically involved in leadership development. We started with a survey of Christian leaders.  We asked them to tell us about their experiences with Christian leaders, what they thought Christ-like leadership should look like, and what they thought was most effective in building Christ-centered leaders.

We collected responses from 1,031 leaders from across seven continents.  Those surveyed included a wide range of ages, types of leadership experience and quantities of leadership experience.  Approximate one-third of those surveyed were women.  We conducted the survey in five languages to try to get a wide range of opinions. In the process of conducting the survey, one thing became frighteningly obvious—we have a leadership problem!” (quote from Lausanne website)

Some Survey Highlights 

“When asked to describe their worst experiences working under [Christian] leaders, and what characteristics those poor leaders had, 1,000 leaders answering the survey said:

Prideful, always right, and always the big boss

Lack of integrity, untrustworthy

Harsh, uncaring, refused to listen, critical

Slightly lower on the list:
Inability to manage people and enable them to work together

Spiritually immature, no evidence of holiness or prayerfulness”

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“When 1,000 Christian leaders across the globe were surveyed, the top three ranking characteristics that described Christ-centered leadership were:

Integrity, authenticity, excellent character

Servant’s heart, humble

Spiritually mature, hears God’s voice, holy and prayerful

Next on the list came:

Excellent people management skills and ability to discern and develop the gifts of others

Biblical knowledge, theologically sound

Compassionate, good listener, more oriented to people than accomplishing the task”

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What would you say is the most frequent cause of failure in Christian leaders to ‘finish well’ as a Christ-centered leader in the nation where you are currently living?” Respondents could pick three answers.  Five of the ten possibilities received the vast majority of the votes.  The top five included:

Burn-out (360)

Abuse of power (360)

Inappropriate use of finances (354)

Inordinate Pride (353)

Lack of growth in their Spiritual Life (349)

The sixth cause ranked was “sexual sin” with 292 votes.”

Excerpted from We Have a Problem!—But There is Hope (2010) Lausanne Movement https://www.lausanne.org/content/we-have-a-problem-but-there-is-hope-results-of-a-survey-of-1000-christian-leaders-from-across-the-globe

Applications

--Are the findings in this survey relevant for leaders across sectors, countries, religious groups, etc.?
If so, how?
--List a few take aways for you from the survey results.

Global Integrators--17

Global Interns

Common Ground as Learners-Practitioners

Iimage from internet, source unknown

We think that the time is coming for a diversity of colleagues to come together intentionally, visibly, and practically on behalf of global integration (GI). GI put simply is how we skilfully integrate our lives and values on behalf of the issues facing humanity. Likewise we think that the time is coming for colleagues to carefully reflect and act on what it means to be good global learners-practitioners--to seriously consider what it means to be what we are calling global integrators (GI-People).

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This entry builds a on two previous ones on Staying Updated (13 July 2015) and Pathways for Preparation (28 May 2015).  The basic point: personal and collective humility as global integrators is essential to recognize our strengths and limitations as learners-practitioners. Perhaps ultimately our need for one another provides the most solid common ground upon which we all stand.

Global integrators who are trying to connect and contribute meaningfully in our globalizing world are perpetual learners. They understand that there are no terminal degrees in professional perfection, no Ph.D.eities awarded. There really are not to many of us who are multi-XYZ-savvy experts. Rather we are much more like "global interns" who need to be and want to be constantly learning with/from/under a diversity of colleagues who themselves are global interns.  

So we are global integrators who are interning in global matters. We are dependent on one another, since our knowledge and skills, though substantial, are nonetheless limited. Authentic and pragmatic humility helps us to maintain this perspective and to freely acknowledge our dependence on one another (not to mention doing a variety of more mundane clerical things out of the limelight). So as I see it, the fact of our all being global interns provides very solid and substantial common ground for working together.

Applications:
Prioritizing special learning events once a week
Here are three upcoming events in the next three weeks that on a personal level reflect my ongoing internship status (and interests!) as a learner-practitioner. I am not invited to speak at any of these events. That's ok. The presenters/conveners and participants likely have no idea who I am. That's ok too. I even periodically feel overlooked, undervalued, not so appreciated, and wish that someone out there would recognize me more. That's still Ok. At my core as a global integrator is the desire to just keep at it. I want to to keep learning as I cross sectors in order to help me connect and contribute as meaningfully as possible in our needy world--and of course, if you know me a bit by now, to do so ad majorem Dei gloriam.

Friday 18 September 2015, webinar
Faith in Action at the United Nations General Assembly
UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Religion and Development

“There is increasing recognition of the long-standing contributions and pivotal roles of religious leaders and faith-based development and humanitarian organizations. Given this year's High Level Summit to adopt the Post-2015 Development Agenda and on the occasion of the 70^th Anniversary of the United Nations (#UN70), there will be a rich number of initiatives taking place in and ​around the UN, including with bilateral development counterparts​.”

You can join live via Google Hangouts on Air at: https://plus.google.com/110284924376196088352/posts
Or visiting the YouTube Live Stream at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEcij6_ftQ8

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Thursday 24 September 2015, webinar

Practical Dilemmas of Principled Action: Impartiality

Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and Protection

"The [humanitarian] principle of impartiality carries a triple function, creating an ethical requirement that aid be given on a non-discriminatory basis, determining that operations must identify and address the needs of the most vulnerable, and building trust and acceptance within a conflict context. In crisis situations, where many people have needs – often serious ones – in what ways do humanitarian actors differentiate, or not, between people in need versus those most in need? How do impartiality and agency specialization affect one another, both in theory and in practice? What does impartiality mean for an organization with a long history of working in a certain community or region in need when there are other communities or regions in more urgent distress?”

For more information:

https://phap.org/news/2015/phap-special-event-series-practical-dilemmas-principled-action

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Friday 30 September 2015, presentation

Creating a Culture of Transparency

Graduate Institute Geneva

"With people worldwide demanding more open and accountable government and business, how can we fight back against corruption and promote transparency and integrity?  Cobus de Swardt [Managing Director of Transparency International] will explore how smart partnerships can enable politicians, business and civil society to join forces in the fight against grand corruption."

More information here:

http://graduateinstitute.ch/events/_/events/corporate/2015/creating-a-culture-of-transparen

Member Character(s)--1 of 4

A Glimpse at the Character of Patrick

Feast Day 17 March

We remember and we celebrate

the life of this remarkable yet ordinary man,

Patricius, aka Patrick.

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'We beseech thee holy youth, come and walk among us again'. This was the message from an Irish person in a dream that Patricius had, circa age 40. Previously Patricius had spent several of his teenage years as a slave in Ireland.

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Patrick's impact on 5th century Ireland was multiplied far beyond the Irish shores, via his colleagues and their progeny, his example, and his autobiography, The Confessions of St. Patrick. His opening sentence in The Confessions reflects both his humility and his perseverance:

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"Ego Patricius, peccator, rusticissimus..."

I am Patrick,

a sinner, most unlearned,

the least of all the faithful,

and utterly despised by many.

Personally, I ignore most of the pious legends about him, along with the various socio-political versions that obfuscate who he really was. I rather connect with his character, his passion for God, and his commitment to humans. We salute you Patricius, with or without a pint of stout in our hands, and we salute all those courageous enough to follow your example.

*Refelction and Discussion

*The life work (apostolate) of Patricius began in his 40s. It took awhile for him to "find" his flow, niche, and anointing. Any applications to your life, to mission/aid workers, and/or to the life of member care practitioners?

*Patricius was a slave at one point, in his youth. This took awhile too (about six years of his life, until he escaped with guidance from a dream/vision)! Any applications for you and/or others? Try relating this experience to John 21--'when you are older, someone else will gird you and lead you to places where you may not want to go...'

*What character qualities do you see in Patricius via his opening declaration in The Confessions? What can we learn from this brief glimpse of who he was?