Maybe this story starts when, at age 11, I tell my uncle that when I grow up, I want to make the world better. He both smiles and scoffs, knowing that I’ll learn the ways of the world and get a regular job like everyone else. I scoff back, because I know I will do it.

As a young adult, I was not sure exactly how to do this. I felt that I had missed the boat. All the boats: Freud was long g ...