An Example of Metanoia

Lent is a time - a season - for metanoia, for changing our minds, conversion, turning around, repentance. How are we open to changing? How are we open to living more just and compassionate lives? In the process, how do we invite others to participate?

In many ways, that is what this post is about - how we invite others?

In finishing up some reading this week, I was reading in E. F. Schumacher's book Small is Beautiful about private versus nationalized corporations. Recall that he is writing prior to 1973 (when the work was published). He notes that one of the issues called forth by those proponents of private corporations is the lack of public accountability for the nationalized corporations. Schmacher finds this absurd, as the nationalized corporations have systems in place to handle and encourage public responses. Rather, Schmacher notes, the private corporations lack any kind of public accountability (see his chapter on "Ownership," esp. pg. 285).

About the same time I received an email from Avaaz saying that public pressure (through a campaign they ran) was able to change the mind of the Benetton Corporation. Benetton was the only corporation who had yet to pay any restitution for the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh. Here is how Avaaz went about changing Benetton's mind, maybe it is better to say, here is how Avaaz presented Benetton with an opportunity to change their mind, to experience metanoia:

Benetton’s announcement spread across media all over the world -- check out just some of the coverage in the BBC, Reuters and The Guardian -- but the story of how our incredible community got there is even more inspiring.

In just 2 weeks we went from launch to victory — here’s how:

• More than a million of us signed a mega-petition asking Benetton to pay up.
• Avaaz members around the world flooded Benetton’s Facebook and Twitter accounts with thousands of comments.
• We hit Benetton at home, driving a mobile billboard around their Italian HQ for days.
• We developed a high-level lobbying strategy to make the case for contribution both directly and working with important influencers.
• And crucially -- recognising that for decades, Benetton has publicly advocated for justice and fairness -- the Avaaz team engaged with them in direct, constructive communications, not as an enemy, but as a potential partner.

Our community can be incredibly proud of this amazing result. Groups have been calling for Benetton to pay for over a year, and with the power of the Avaaz community’s passion, solidarity and strategic action, we did it! (email from 25 Feb 2015, italics mine)

Notice what I've italicized? "Not as an enemy, but as a potential partner."

Isn't that what justice and compassion are all about? Seeing the "other" has a potential partner?

How are you called to partner with "the least of these" this Lent?

Blessed Be,

Joel