I'm sure many people don't do it primarily to feel special. My apologies to those people. However, in my personal experience, the people I know with this mindset are also the people who seem to believe in the concept of "being better than other people" and actively pursue means to this end. I think what I am trying to say is related to Brook's warning that "You might become one of those people who loves humanity in general but not the particular humans immediately around." I'm not saying these people are the scum of the earth, and it's probably a bad idea to try to paint with such a broad brush- I'm simply going off my own life experience and perception thereof.
Don't bother. There's a significant segment of the population who can't escape the egocentric mindset others grow out of. They can't (not won't, can't) understand that others think and feel differently from them. They can't imagine others wanting to fix an injustice which doesn't directly affect them.
Wait- you inferred all this about me from a single comment? It's true that some people have no ability for empathy, but I think leveling such a harsh criticism at a random person based on a single comment is probably a little over the top.