As an adult member of society I have many of the same experiences as everyone else. I have seen the beautiful aspects of people and culture and I have seen the ugly. I have seen the effects of living the way we do, at lightening speed with a convenience mentality. I have seen people's selfishness and sense of entitlement and their thirst for release and gratification in a society where our demands are many and the payoff to our work is often abstract or irrelevant. I believe studying social issues fulfills our responsibility as citizens to understand the world around us. If we are to make any impact at all, we must first understand what is going on. Studying sociology helps me find my place in the world and helps me identify what I can do to work towards changing the ugly around us. When the Buddha stepped outside his palace and saw the suffering that was hidden from him, he was called to action. We have a choice as autonomous creatures; we can live comfortably in our palace of ignorance, or we can face the suffering of the world and answer the call. We can answer the calls of the sick and the poor, the starving and the addicted, the victims and those without hope. There is no doubt that people of the world are suffering. It is our choice to answer their calls. By studying the problems facing the world, we can do this.

“It is not enough to be compassionate – you must act.”- His Holiness The Dalai Lama