Pancake and I were sitting around one day talking about misc. philosophical stuff and the question came up about which super power we'd each like to have.  Though I agreed that it would be cool to be able to fly or be invisible or whatever, the truth is I'd like the power to inject music into the head of anyone or everyone I want.  I also admit that often times during a conversation, and though I look focused (and I am), I'm also thinking about what song to play in your head.
 
I'm telling you... with this power I could lift the mood of the whole world.  Turn it up!
 
In the fantastic End Malaria book (At least $20 from each copy sold goes to Malaria No More, an international advocacy organization, to send a mosquito net to a family in need and to support life-saving work in the fight against malaria.), Pam Slim, recommends keeping a playlist close by that reinvigorates your passion.

This may be the most common response people use for just about any big issue, "they're working on it," "they have solutions," "they say," etc. ect. etc. Who is this infamous "they" and what are they doing and how do you know?

The one academic lesson I learned my freshman year of college was during a psychology class where the prof told the story of a woman who was brutally raped and murdered in the courtyard of a housing complex. It was a warm summer night and everybody had their windows opened and could hear the assault but nobody called for help. Later, when asked by police why nobody helped or called for help the response was the same for everyone - they thought somebody would do it so they didn't need to. Lesson learned: don't assume anybody is doing anything.

So when you say, "they will fix the issue," what I'm hearing is, "someone who cares more than I do is probably going to take care of it." And I hope you're right but if I care about it too, then I'm going to find out who they are and what they're doing and see if there is some way my skills can help. On many issues - especially macroeconomics and ecology - your livelihood is on the line and turning a blind-eye is a risky proposition.

I understand all things aren't inside our sphere of influence. And some things that are inside our sphere of influence hardly seem worthwhile since your single output is like a raindrop in the ocean. But you're wrong. Look at history. There was a single person that started doing something different. Someone else saw how well it worked and did it too. We're not drops in the ocean but more like a spark in the forest and if it catches hold will spread like wild.

Don't wait for someone else to lead the way. We all need to do our part. When you or I are in that courtyard we'll both be hoping that everybody rises up. As Gandhi said, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."