Great question. Depends on the issue I guess. In counseling a principle taught is by helping others you do help yourself.
Kinda' like that old story joke.
Answer is problems are what we learn patience from.
When you help everyone means that you share with everyone, people who you helped will believe in you and help you in response. So actually , you contribute your friendliness, goodness as well as your individual power, but receive the group power and energy.
I find this a lot. I try to help myself but find it more easier to help someone else, then im still left feeling hopeless x.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.