Each individual is responsible for the good they can do in the world. It is hard to overstate the effect of just a few righteous people. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16)
A righteous person’s efforts can save the lives of a person, a city, or even a nation. And you wouldn't even know about it.
One reason things aren't worse than they are is because the efforts of a few righteous men and women are holding back the judgments of God from the earth (see, for example, Jacob 5:50).
Still, one reason that things are as bad as they are on earth today is because people who are at the top of the Pareto distribution are not living up to their potential. They are either doing only what others do, and therefore less than they could, or they are using their gifts to make the world a worse place instead of a better one.
An example from the scriptures of each of these two scenarios would perhaps help.
The kings of Israel were meant to be spiritual leaders. Unfortunately, few were. Hezekiah was a wonderful example of one who lived up to his role. By living righteously in a wicked kingdom, he was able to reverse the covenant curses laid on his fathers, and obtain God's mercy for an entire kingdom.
The watchers—fallen angels who used their advanced knowledge to curse mankind instead of bless them—are a great example of what can happen when the spiritually advanced attempt to subvert God's purposes. Many of the problems on earth today can be traced back to information revealed inappropriately by the watchers, and much of the wickedness on earth at the time of the flood was tied to their influence and actions.
The wicked erroneously believe that the only reason a person would want to know whether they are exceptional or not is to gloat. Pride is not the motivation for being great. The cost of greatness is far greater than the benefit to all who are motivated by the vanity of carnality. Instead, the truly great are motivated by just one thing: the love of their fellowmen. The selfrecognition of their greatness has very little to do with whatever recognition they desire in the eyes of others. Instead, it has to do with their ability to cope with the exponentially increasing demands of living true to what they know, and having the stamina to continue to work against the entropy of the world.
For most, a focus on what you do right will lead to an overinflated ego: entitlement, covetousness, and sin. At some point in your ascent, though, if you don't realize you are different, you will not have enough drive to continue to act beyond what everyone else does. The status quo is far below your own potential, but you need a reason to break through it.
When you are normal and you act below your potential, bad things happen, mostly for you and sometimes for others. When you are exceptional and you act below your potential, really bad things happen, mostly for others, who rely on your light even if they don't realize it.
Ezekiel quotes the Lord in saying that a priest's duty is to: “...teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.” (Ezekiel 44:23) Without people who know better, those who do not know better will become far more wicked than they otherwise would be. Those who are only good when placed in an environment that promotes being good will be evil, and joined with those who will be evil no matter their environment, they will create a majority problem that then makes it even harder for those who would be good no matter what.
What evidence is there that many people will be evil when their environment promotes it? The Stanford Prison Experiment and Milgram's studies show that many people have an “innate propensity” for evil. It is the environment that brings it out. This can be seen in inner cities, third world countries, and Indian reservations. The poverty of these people is not a result of their genetics or geography, but a direct result of their systems of thinking. Those from their communities who are raised outside of their systems of thinking prosper. Those born into their systems of thinking suffer.
Their systems of thinking were created by and are sustained by those in power. “When the wicked rule, the people mourn.” (Proverbs 29:2) The way they interact with the world around them, their government, and their principles (or lack thereof) are to blame.
What would have happened if Moses wasn't who he was? Could God have blessed the Israelites the way he did? He could not. Israel was far too wicked to merit the blessings it received. Moses was the vital ingredient that balanced the equation. Because of the righteousness of Moses in the face of the wickedness of the Israelites, God was able to bless Israel and retain his justice. Moses' intercession for Israel, in spite of all their shenanigans, opened the way for God to continue to bless them long after justice would have required their destruction.