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Showing posts with label justice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label justice. Show all posts
Friday, 29 November 2019
Humanity Care: UPGs and SDGs 6
Friday, 27 September 2013
JC et al.--Living in Truth 16
Final Thoughts
Ecce homo. Antonio Ciseri c. 1880.
.
This is the final entry on "living
in truth." One way to use the 16 entries is to review them over the course of several days. For example: read one per day (online or
printed); reflect on it; and make at least one personal application. You can do this on your own, with a friend, or as a small group. These entries by JC et al. are meant to shine light on our virtues as well as bolster our resolve
to face our own distortions—memories, motivations, and morality—and to live more honestly (in
truth) with ourselves and others. Truth is a foundation for trust. And trust is necessary for peace. "So love truth and peace." (Zech. 8:19)
*****
Truth-telling, struggling
for justice, working toward forgiveness: these are three central dimensions of
the social process of reconciliation. In all situations I know, they are never
undertaken on a level playing field; the consequences of oppression, violence,
and war are not predisposed to honesty, justice, and even good intentions in
all parties. Nor are the processes, for the most part, orderly. And they never
seem complete, in fact, we usually experience them as truncated, prematurely
foreclosed, high-jacked by the powerful. We can find ourselves acquiescing to
half-measures, half-truths, compromised solutions. Robert Schreiter, Reconciliation
as a New Paradigm in Mission (2005). Quoted in Global Member Care: The Pearls and Perils of Good Practice 2011, p.
114 (quoted also in the Reality DOSE article, available in 12 languages: https://sites.google.com/site/mcaresources/).
*****
Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.
Sunday, 30 November 2008
Member Care and Organisational Health
Signs of Organisational Health
I am back at Ards Friary, Donegal Ireland. In my mind. In my heart. I come here often. Thinking about healthy organisations. Thinking especially about healthy faith-based organisations. Orwell has been so helpful. But what are the positive examples? How did the Franciscan monks for example, such as here at Ards Friary, maintain a healthy organisational life--and a healthy community?
How rewarding it is to work in an organisation, a community, a team, a network, with these features:
1. Mutual respect among staff
2. Fair pay/compensation
3. Opportunities to make contributions
4. Opportunities for advancement and personal growth
5. Sense of purpose and meaning
6. Management with competence and integrity
7. Safeguards to protect individuals (staff and customers) from injustice
8. Responsibility for actions: owning mistakes, not blaming others or covering up
9. Honesty in communication and public disclosures: not slanting the truth or exagerating
10. Accountability for personal/work life: seeking out feedback and ways to improve, not ignoring or pretending
*
Reflection and Discussion
1. How would you add to or adjust the above list?
2. What are the three core characteristics in an organisation that would make you want to be part of it and really contribute?
Monday, 18 August 2008
Member Care and the Body of Christ
Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi
miserere nobis.
We are looking at "wounds" in the Body of Christ. We are relating specific paintings of Christ's "passion" from El Prado Museum in Madrid, to the mission/member care world. The level of health/dysfunction (wounds) in our own communities will be reproduced in the communities that we seek to strengthen and form.
The painting below, The Descent from the Cross, was done around 1435 by the Flemish artist Rogier van der Weyden. Who among us also has the moral courage to request and to hold and to care for the broken Body?
Reflection and Discussion
Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.
Is there something within your sphere of influence that needs justice and mercy? Mercy with justice brings healing--for our communities and those we seek to support/form.
*
We will not prosper if we cover a transgression.
But if we confess and forsake our transgressions, we will find mercy.
Proverbs 28:13
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
Member Care and Human Rights--11
Civil Rights--Lessons for Member Care
We recently saw the 1996 American film, Ghosts of Mississippi.
It is about civil rights—which are based on human rights—and justice.
It is about civil rights—which are based on human rights—and justice.
The movie is about a famous court case in the USA involving a prominent black civil rights leader who was assassinated in 1963 (Medgar Evers). The main suspect of this hate-crime was a man known to be a real advocate of white supremacy. He was not convicted since the jury could not come to a conclusion. In fact, there were two trials, but the same conclusion: a “hung” jury and no conviction.
Some 30 years later (1993) the case was reopened (after much opposition) and retried. This time the man was found guilty, and brought to justice.
This story is an outstanding and sobering account of what it takes to see human rights upheld and to see justice done. Whether it involves supporting the welfare of mission/aid staff or publically advocating on behalf of oppressed people groups, justice can in fact be achieved. But it is not easy. Idealism and good will are almost never enough. Some lessons that come out clearly from this movie:
**1. “Ghosts of injustice” will haunt you unless you confront them. They will likely huant you even more if you confront them--until justice is done.
**2. Justice does not happen usually unless one actively pursues it.
**3. There are intentional hindrances to uncovering and disseminating “facts”: cover-ups, lost information/evidence, harassment.
**4. It takes time, patience, and professionalism, not to mention key support, for justice to be done.
**5. People are often unwilling to help: to inconvenience themselves, to threaten their livelihood, to be ostracised by others and above all to “change one’s way of life”. This is true of individuals, organisations, communities, and countries.
**6. There are some people however who cannot simply look the other way and ignore gross injustice. These people are resolutely committed to pursue truth and justice, and will not take “no” for an answer. They are willing to face extreme negative consequences, including defamation and sometimes even death, in order to act with integrity and help others.
**7. Perpetrators of injustice and their accomplices often fall into their own traps.
**8. Eventually, society and organisational ethos can change but it usually takes a lot of hard work, over time, crises, confrontation, regime changes, and new leaders to see it come about.
**9. Don’t give up. Note that today, the state of Mississippi in the USA has more elected officials who are black than any other American state.
**10. etc.!
Reflection and Discussion
1. Watch a 12 minute interview from 1996 with the widow of Medgar Evars and the Assistant District Attorney that successfully reopened/prosecuted this case. One interesting addition to the movie based on this interview is the ongoing, pervasive prayer that accompanied the pursuit of justice (watch minutes 22 through 34)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOOpsbFzqc0
2. Listen also to the special report from 2003 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Medgar’s assassination. It is done by National Public Radio’s “All Thing’s Considered.”
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1294360
Monday, 14 April 2008
Member Care--Help from Leaders: 3
Helping Staff Deal with Difficult Experiences
Part three of four parts
Note--with a music link at the end.
*****
*****
AV2 Summary:
AV-1 is basic. Active listening by leaders, or any respected person, helps facilitate it. People feel empowered. AV-2 though is trickier. In many situations involving relationship, project, and organisational issues—in spite of encounters with safe leaders—apologies and vindication do not happen. Justice may not be served to one’s satisfaction. Divergent views and differing people cannot be reconciled. Dysfunctional aspects of systems and people can seemingly prevail. This challenges people to be realistic about what to expect; to consider their own possible distortions and weaknesses; and to use this difficult experience for personal growth—letting it bring out the best in them and not the worst. And for those in the Christian faith-based sector, it can encourage them and even goad them to “entrust themselves into the hands of a faithful Creator in doing what is right" (I Peter 4:19).
*
Reflection and Discussion
**Give an example when difficult experiences brought out the best in you and not the worst.
**What type of additional training might leaders get to help them with things like AV2 encounters?
**When would it be irresponsible for leaders/organisations to not challenge injustices?
*
Music link:
Here's a song about vulnerable humans, in utero. It also relates to anyone in a vulnerable place, who needs the help and protection of others. Others often may need to take risks in order to help. How might this relate to member care and to AV2 encounters?
Sunday, 3 February 2008
Nietzsche Care
Nietzsche and Member Care--Why Not?
A friend has been recently sharing some helpful thoughts with us from Friedrich Nietzsche. Here is one aphorism in particular from Nietzsche's 19th century book, The Gay Science. (Note--this title has nothing to do with sexual oreintation. Nietzche eventually suicided, in 1900. He needed care for sure.) ***
Section 267
"With a great goal one is superior even to justice,
"With a great goal one is superior even to justice,
not only to one's deeds and one's judges."
To continue, I have also been reflecting on some of Christ's more incisive words to a cluster of religious folks who also thought that they were above justice. He called them:
"Snakes! Reptilian sneaks!"
(Matthew 23, The Message)
***
Reflection and Discussion
**How can we help ourselves and others to not let our "important goals" in mission/aid and member care work, inflate our sense of self-importance and obscure our responisibiity for justice?
****Noble causes and costic narcissism--how do these things blind people from the need for accountability? Give a specific example.
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