Mercy in Public Administration (2003)

Blessed are the merciful for they shall be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7 And what does the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love Micah 6:8 Abstract This paper suggests that is a virtue in the classical secular sense as well as the religious. It offers as a virtue important for those in the practice of public administration and introduces as a way that public employees can serve their clients and one another. It further suggests that those who act with will more completely carry out their role as representative citizens who act on behalf of all. ********** To understand how affects actions and outcomes, think a minute about a person in your life who has hurt you or harmed you the most. That person may have insulted you or told untruths about you or took something that was yours or put your job in jeopardy. If you can think of no one who fits this category, you are richly blessed. If you are like most of us, one or two people will come to mind. As you think of the one who has hurt or harmed you, also think about what they deserve for what they did. Think about what you might want to do to them in return if you could. If you think they deserve to be punished or harmed as you were harmed, you are absolutely within your rights. You are thinking in terms of justice. That's what most of us do. To act justly is a quid pro quo behavior. Justice is fairness, after all. Now I'd like you to think about forgiving the person who harmed Once again see that person in your mind's eye, and, in your heart, say, forgive you. If you can visualize the difference between a person getting their just desserts and a person bathed in the light of forgiveness, then you can surely know what is. You also know how difficult it is to be merciful. To be merciful is to ask a lot of one's self. I first got the idea that is important for public administrators when one of my students said, about public administrators, are the caregivers. We are entrusted with healing the problems of society and we are responsible for healing the people who come to us for help. If she is right, and I think she is, then public administrators have an awesome responsibility that calls us to examine how we offer our services as well as what services we offer. George Gordon (1998) calls public administrators the fiduciaries of the public trust. We can carry out this fiduciary responsibility bound by the rules of blind justice or we can act mercifully to those we serve and those who serve with us. Yet, We have become a society with little appreciation for mercy. Mercy seems wimpy, passive, even wrong somehow. Let one guy get away with it and the rest will try, seems to be the theory. But .. .. is a reminder that a society cannot live by rules alone (Bourke, 2001: p. 19). While the word mercy appears in the Judeo-Christian scriptures 353 times (Strong), it is not just a Judeo-Christian idea. The concept of is interwoven in scriptures from religions around the world (World Scripture, 2001). In the next section I define mercy. I then explain why is a virtue in the philosophical as well as the religious sense and relate to the practice of public administration. Defining Mercy Mercy is defined as in excess of what may be expected or demanded by fairness; forbearance, and compassion (Webster, 1983: p. 1126). It is moderate behavior, neither blinded by absolute inflexible standards nor by sloppy sentiment. And, is a courageous action. It is not engaged in lightly. Mercy is an act of the will. On that abstract, invisible scale that measures conduct between persons, seems to be an overlooked golden mean between the extremes of blind justice and passion. It is kindness and clemency. In the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, is mainly presented as an action of a powerful and loving God who offers to generation after generation. …