I came across a quote a few days and it has captured my imagination. "Of all follies, there is none greater than wanting to make the world a better place." - Moliere. It has done so because it seems to fly in the face of 'conventional wisdom'. It is human nature to be captured by the ideas that are currently prevalent (conventional wisdom) because we have only so much energy available. Living in a complex world uses up a lot of energy so there is often not much left for original thinking.
It is interesting to wonder what Moliere meant by his thought. Is the world already perfect and who are we to think that we can improve it? Will we be disappointed or distraught if our efforts are not effective? Is the world in such bad shape that nothing we can do will improve it?
For me, it gets me to stand back for a moment and be more aware of the wonder of the world and to be more conscious of the significance of individual human beings. [Russell]