<human>: Give me a shortened version of the text

Warning: Non-accusatory, self-reflective existential rant approaching....

We could be doing so much more than just living our lives and simply surviving. We have so many unexplored areas in the vast fields of science and mathematics. There is such an immense amount of knowledge to be gained yet here we are, mired in our delusions of attaining luxurious lifestyles. We all work jobs that are just part of some enormous circlejerk that squanders our resources, both intellectual and fiscal. Don't you ever wish you could be part of something greater? I hope to finally see the unification of the classical with the quantum. I hope to find out what (or who) is out there. I hope to see every man, woman, and child receive food, water, shelter, and education. What I see is a generation of wasted talent. I see Jersey Shore making millionaires out of people promoting ignorance and excess. I see political bickering and loopholes for the sake of satiating the most affluent interest group/lobbyist. I see News media outlets producing sensationalist stories for the interest of viewership and advertising. I see trillions spent on a missile defense system and then trillions more spent on missile stockpiling. There have been enormous strides in our progress the past few decades - the internet being one of the greatest advances in bringing together the collective power of individuals around the world. But we are weighed down by the chains of short-sightedness and ignorance anchored to stones of greed and hedonism. I am innocent of none of my own observations, but I try my best to offset my grievances. I constructed solar charged LED lanterns for poor African rural communities to use to read/work at nighttime. I worked on a project to bring cheap, renewable water filtration technology to rural African communities. But all my efforts seem absolutely useless in the larger scheme of things. My stupid little projects are just "feel good" projects to justify my obnoxious American lifestyle. It's an apology for the billions spent on destroying countries and the subsequent billions charged for rebuilding them. What the hell can I do to actually make a difference?
<bot>: What can we do to further the progress of our species and end this enormous 9-5 circlejerk that we call our lives?