This photo is an obvious one: The young man is praying for a homeless person, sleeping on a sidewalk. It was an act of compassion.

All sorts of complaints about praying have been made (including a Bible passage about loving not just in word, but in deed), but whether or not this act changed things for the homeless man, they did for the young man who was praying: He was engaging his compassion, he was doing his very best to reach out and convey some sort of benevolence to a suffering human being. These are not vain actions; they do have effects.

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Consider, before returning to the mundane, that all sincere acts of compassion are to be welcomed. So, please try to feel compassion yourself: pick a target and spread your intentions. Actions may be be  more effective that intentions, but actions also begin with intentions.