Summit: The Journey From Thought to Action – 2018 Edition

“The Ones That Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin (1929 – 2018) has been a cornerstone text in the Challenge of Leadership seminar for decades. Telling the story of a utopian city whose success and stability is predicated on the misery of one small child, it has provoked some of the most important questions about privilege, complacency, and the foundations on which society is built. For many, these issues come to a head in the state of race in America, and in 2016, a group of Fellows came together at the Action Forum and pledged to start a movement of national healing, truth, and reconciliation.

In 2017, China Fellow Brian Wong made an Action Pledge to “broaden Western perceptions of China and Chinese culture through the creation of a digital media platform targeting 250,000 U.S. millennial subscribers by March 2018.” That pledge is being made real by his leadership venture, RADII – a digital media platform focused on producing stories about Chinese life, culture, and innovation. In this piece, Brian takes us on his journey.

Moderators don’t just ask questions. They push and prod even though it’s against their social instinct to meddle in others’ business. In fact, being “polite” goes out the window. No skirting politics, opinions, or religion. No ignoring life’s sorrow and hurt. Not because moderators want to be provocative for the sake of being provocative, but because it’s the only way to make sure the Fellows haven’t wasted time simply philosophizing.