During a meeting of a global public health initiative for a country with the world’s highest maternal and infant mortality rate, we talked about who would love to see safer births and local healthcare jobs.
Everyone?
Not quite. For people who are currently handling global aids or organizations that are ‘saving’ the vulnerables, paradoxically, if the high maternal and infant mortality is reduced, the funds will no longer flow in and the humanitarian work/ workers will not be needed. A real success, as a practitioner put it, is to get myself out of job. Would you do that?
When looking beneath surface, some seemingly irrational actions are not so shocking, neither just by bad people, rather they reflect the incentives and constraints of the underlying system.
This structural imbalance is also visible in US, in how we spend on human life. Extensive development researches have shown that the first 1000 days are the most critical window for brain architecture, where cognitive and physical health intersect to shape long-term trajectories.
Yet, the spending tells a different story:
- Per-person healthcare spending for those 65 and older ($22,356) is over five times what’s spent per child ($4,217) according to CMS’s 2020 data—and that gap widens further toward the end-of-life.
- Early childhood teachers nationally earn a median of about $41,000 a year (ZipRecruiter, 2026)—while a median-earning plastic surgeon brings home $750,000, more than 18 times as much (SalaryDr, 2026).
Instead of getting bitter or feeling hopeless, it’s more productive to find what motivates or holds people back. Understanding the drivers and mechanics help identifying common ground, enabling more effective communication, and informing practical solutions (read more: Idea Tell, Benefit Sell link).
Sustainable progress requires connecting like-minded people and constructing supportive ecosystems. When we combine evidence-based tools, training, and environment that foster interests and character skills (read more: Coaching via Coding), personal agency (read more: Yes, You Can), and positive experiences (read more: HOPEful Life), we create conditions for lasting growth and impact.
Intentions alone don’t guarantee outcomes; We need feedback loops to keep us honest and grounded. While adversity and systemic obstacles are real, history isn’t the destiny. Positive experiences and human support can alter trajectories at any stage of life (read more: HOPE in Action). Even when the results are not immediately visible, every life, every touch matters.
Over the past 3 months, I have had the honor of studying foundational literature, learning directly from practitioners across the field, and sharing the journey. While the learning and sharing continue, it’s time to integrate and shift toward implementation. I’m excited to collaborate with HOPE team, healthcare providers and educators, families, communities, and organizations to apply what’s available and co-create what’s needed that strengthen awareness, self-motivation and agency, and practical knowledge for more people to live a healthy and fulfilled life!
I love what Lisa Su, AMD CEO said in 2026 MIT commencement address with the motto “Mens et Manus” (“mind and hand”), “Run toward the hardest problems”, and “surrounding yourself with people who make you better” to create your own luck and make a positive difference!
What do you care about enough to act, starting now?
References & Acknowledgements
- CMS National Health Expenditure Fact Sheet
- Back to School 2026: Early Childhood Teachers in High-Cost Metros Earn Just $2-$4 Above Minimum Wage
- U.S. Plastic Surgeon Salary 2026: $750K Median
- In addition to the experts, practitioners, and works featured in this series, gratitude for the foundational frameworks and research developed by Dr. Walter Gilliam, Dr. Jack P. Shonkoff and Harvard Developing Child’s, Dr. Charles A. Nelson III, Dr. Angela Duckworth, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, Dr. Philip Fisher and Stanford Center on Early Childhood.
- Special thanks to the practitioners and insights from Strategies for Children’s 9:30 calls, Creando Raíces Fuertes en la Educación Temprana, and the MIT Pediatric Innovation Program.
Part of the Growing Up Well series — Building Heads, Hearts, and Futures