The kind of world I want to build

I've studied psychology, social work, and education. I studied these fields because I want to promote the positive development of people and communities. I studied these fields, and it seemed to me, sometimes they lost sight of these larger goals, and focused more on how to do things in a particular paradigm. For example, psychology focuses on alleviating depression and anxiety through psychotherapy. Social work focuses on addressing poverty and child abuse through government bureaucracy. Education focuses on increasing learning through the use of classrooms, lectures, and grades.

These are the issues I wish to address, but are there not other ways to address these issues? I don't want to compartmentalize learning to schools, happiness to psychotherapy, or economic well-being to government bureaucracy. I want to build communities in which all people are treated as valued community members who have something to contribute. I want people to treat each other with respect, kindness, and integrity. I want people to continually grow in wisdom, knowledge, and compassion.

My favorite colleges are Marlboro College and College of the Atlantic because I believe that they are trying to build this type of community. I admire Quakers because they make cherishing others a way of life. This is the kind of world I want to build. This is where I want to put my time, energy, and money.