A political path to inner peace

I am in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.  You’ve probably never heard of Cuyahoga; I hadn’t either before arriving here three days ago.  It is the most populous county in the state and home to the city of Cleveland.  The 1.5 million people in the surrounding area—or those that actually vote—may very well decide tomorrow’s election for President.  I came here with few expectations and a whole lot of enthusiasm.  My first morning, I set out with a new friend—also from the South and also studying in Cambridge—to “canvas” or knock on doors.  We had a map, a list of voter names, and a general idea of what to say when a door opened to our knock.  We knew the folks on our list were already likely supporters of President Obama, so our goal was to get them out of their houses and into the polls.  What followed was a profound learning experience for me. The streets we walked were filled with abandoned and boarded houses....

I recently left the world of politics for the world of business.  To my surprise, the cultures have not turned out to be as distinct as I imagined.  Except for one glaring exception: me.  In Washington, I considered myself a moderate in a town of party loyalists.  Much to the chagrin of my friends, I could even be found making libertarian arguments from time to time.  I was progressive, certainly.  A registered democrat, yes.  But I was really just a novice in a sea of experts, and still green enough on any given issue to challenge both red and blue. At Sloan, my politics have morphed into my persona—like I am wearing a sign around my neck that says, “Let’s talk about the election!”  Except that it’s not just the sign that is saying it.   The words are literally coming out of my mouth. I can’t help it.  It’s like a Potomac virus has gotten into my bloodstream, traveled north to my brain, and rearranged synaps...

Cross-posted from MIT Sloan's Admissions Blog , where I will be writing about my experience in the MBA admissions process (painful!) and my first semester as an MBA student (glorious!). This post goes out the poets, the ladies, and anyone from a non-business background who shudders at the world “derivative.”  Hear ye, hear ye: You are my people! My name is Caroline Mauldin, and I am a first year MBA candidate at MIT Sloan School of Management.  I have never worked in finance, or commercial real estate, or energy, or management consulting.  Until recently, I thought PE was an acronym for that treacherous elementary school class in which we had to run a mile and do push-ups in front of our pre-adolescent classmates (physical education, also not my thing).  Turns out it stands for Private Equity.  Right! Though originally from South Carolina, there’s something about Boston that keeps pulling me back.  I received my Bachelor’s degree from Tufts Universit...

Some of my notes from a recent seminar on personal transitions with Atum O'Kane --friend, spiritual guide, and treasured teacher (who led our pilgrimage to Bhutan in 2010). My life is a persistent push-pull between the soul and the ego. When is the ego a stubborn guide when the soul longs to lead?   How do I live so that both are tools on my path and together manifest as the identity I seek?  

I feel a certain urgency of years passing. The brevity of the beating heart. The responsibility of standing on solid ground With able mind and spirit. There is so much to do, so many good people to know, so much good to see and to do.  I wonder what I am doing with my life. how I am using it, Must make the most of it; think, write, fly, land, speak, negotiate, give, smile, think some more.  Every moment in pursuit of meaning, of fulfillment, and of purpose.  I want my life to spill over with life. 

From the Sufi Master, Hazrat Inayat Khan: The tendency to doubt, to be depressed, the tendency towards fear, suspicion and confusion, the tendency to puzzle -- where does it all come from? It all comes from the thought of getting something in return: 'will another give me back what I have given him? Shall I get the just portion back, or less?' if that is the thought behind one's acts there will be fear, doubt, suspicion, puzzle and confusion. For what is doubt? Doubt is a cloud that stands before the sun, keeping it from shining its light. So is doubt: gathering around the soul it keeps its light from shining out, and man becomes confused and perplexed. Once selflessness is developed, it breaks through the cloud saying, 'What do I care whether anyone appreciates it; I only know to give my service, and that is all my satisfaction. I do not look forward to get it back. I have given and it is finished; this is where my duty ends.' That person is blessed, because he has...

This is obviously a personal blog, but my work with the Open Government Partnership has been so influential in my life over the past 18 months that I feel compelled to mention it here.  In a sentence: OGP has revived my faith in the ability of governments to fulfill their obligation to provide for their people.   This past Monday, I spoke to a conference organized by the National Democratic Institute, the Sunlight Foundation, the Government of Mexico, and the Latin American Network for Legislative Transparency, on the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and how it can advance transparency in parliaments and legislatures around the world.  Wonky as they may be, my remarks reflect some of the ethos that I employed in building OGP over the past year--primarily, the importance of dialogue and perspective in building a new international initiative. *** Having been so close to the Open Government Partnership over the past year, it still shocks me to hear other people--such...