The Aspen Institute Socrates Program: The Good Society
July 13, 2016
I was asked to prepare a brief write-up about my recent experience at the Socrates Program at the Aspen Institute to share with the Quorum community. Since leaving the elevated heights of Aspen to come down to a more normal altitude, I have decided that this is the best metaphor to describe my own personal mountaintop experience when I explain why I hope to have inspired more Quorum members to attend these programs in the future. Higher altitudes include a certain degree of risk.
Being a part of the Quorum Initiative is truly one of the most important decisions I have ever made in my life. My association with a professional network that stands for the values of diversity and inclusion of women’s leadership in the workplace also led me to connect with The Socrates Program. Stepping outside of my professional and family obligations to prioritize the importance of critical thinking/discourse for three days with no known tangible ROI on the other side is the best “risk” decision I ever made.
The Good Society as a seminar was phenomenal. It was one of 6 seminars, each with different topics. Participating in the Socrates Program is making space for creative thought and for serendipity. The seminar readings are intellectually stimulating and the people you meet are incredible. There were many special connections made with amazing individuals.
So as I write this from Seoul Korea to offer a reflection, I am thinking back on where I have been and what has happened in the world since I came down off the mountain both figuratively and literally, just two weeks ago. I took a red eye from Denver to return to Washington, DC and returned in time for my daughter’s 18th birthday, also Bastille Day, and grieved with the civilized world about the Nice terrorist attack. I then flew to California to wine country for meetings and events while tuning into the failed coup in Turkey, a country I visit for work, and as I flew to Seoul this past Sunday I watched in the airport lounge the breaking news about the police slayings in Baton Rouge, as part of a series of murders by militarily trained individuals, in reaction to the murders of black men by the police. On arrival in Seoul, North Korea fired 3 missiles into the sea and emergency alerts in Korean flashed across my phone.
The Good Society seminar from Aspen is not only standing out, it is jumping up and down in the back of my mind, as I take stock of world events juxtaposed with my business meetings. At Aspen we discussed war, conflict, and competition. Can we follow and/or subscribe to a Mencius world view, believing that human nature is basically good? And what is the connection for Quorum?
I am more committed than ever to the equality of women in positions of leadership in business, government and education. We have a new female Prime Minister in the UK. Does she subscribe to a Mencius worldview for governance? We have our first female candidate for President in the US but it will be a rugby scrum to see how this election cycle ends up.
But we all have Quorum. We are more powerful together than as individuals. Quorum is strategic, and partnering with programs like the Aspen Institute Socrates Program makes us even more powerful. To fight the good fight and for the sake of the Good Society, women’s equality is essential to our lives, not just our livelihoods. For all men and women.
I hope all of you will find your way to this particular Mountaintop.