Thinking about that question it strikes that the correct answer is the one that Voltaire hated. Which is to say, the world is not perfect but it is the best possible world.
You can fix the dripping faucet, apologize to a friend, maybe even negotiate a peace or cure a disease if you are really gifted. But no matter what you do you will succeed in subtracting one iota from the sum total of evil in the world.
In my view, every time an idealist keen on making the world a better place collapses in tears of despair an angel gets its wings.
PS: One of the best parts of Casanova's memoirs is the section on Voltaire. It's worth reading just to see how much Casanova was the better man and more profound thinker of the two.
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