I tend to think in terms of what the community's return-on-investment is with respect to my upbringing and support. Society has collectively invested a lot of

I tend to think in terms of what the community's return-on-investment is with respect to my upbringing and support. Society has collectively invested a lot of money in me without demanding a direct return: some very good state scholarships and a fellowship to go to graduate school are only the most obvious and quantifiable contributions. There are many more indirect examples, government services and institutions which have helped me in a more diffuse way. These are shared and less quantifiable, but they still helped in an observable fashion. I appreciate the help, and I will feel accomplished in some way when I feel that I've contributed an equal or greater amount back to the community. Charitable contributions, volunteer work, growing a company, generating employment and wealth, and paying taxes willingly are all activities which contribute to society. That's not to say I won't help myself along the way--I'm human--but I think there are plenty of ways to simultaneously support yourself and support others, and I think it's worth keeping that aim in mind. "Providing a positive ROI" is obviously a long-term project, but I think it's as good a goal as any. As for addressing unfairness, it's a hard problem and I don't claim to have good answers. All I can think to do is be compassionate and look for chances to help others. I can't hope to help those starving billions, but I can help the guy down the street who needs someone to watch his kids while he goes to a job interview; there's nothing wrong with helping locally. TL;DR: Think about how others have helped you, pay it forward and try to leave the world a better place. The rest is details.