Considering all of the bad behavior we observe in our daily lives, what does the Ritual tell us we should do to help improve society and the human lot?

One of the most notable features of our system is that it does not tell us what to do, but instead presents us with concepts and encourages us to reach our own conclusions about how they should apply outside of the Lodge. That said, I do think our Ritual implies that the most important way Freemasons improve society is simply by existing within it and acting on Masonic principles. The Second Degree Charge has something to say in this connection, for example, and it turns out to be supported by scientific inquiry. Researchers looking at data from the decades-long Framingham Heart Study noticed that behaviors tended to pass from friend to friend, and in examining the reach of this influence they found that it extended about three degrees of separation. Thus, for example, if the friend of a friend of a friend quit smoking, your likelihood of quitting increased by more than ten percent. Three degrees of influence and three Degrees of Masonry. . . Surely not a coincidence!