There's a cauldron of desperation brewing in the catacombs of this small town we call World. You can discern its mighty rage in the air, the poison on the seas and its peripatetic undulations transgressing into every moaning pore.

Hubble, bubble, boil, bilge and bollocks. The cauldron is circled in perpetuity by a quartet of witches. Hidden behind their burkha-like veils they plot and plan for a future largely unknown by us mere mortals. But if it is to dawn, it will strike deeper into our core than the apocalyptic twins of global warning and religion-fuelled terrorism.

These four purveyors of demonology go by familiar monikers.

Lethargy. Inaction. Inability.  Inertia.

Their talons spread far wider than the branches of a Great Oak tree. Right now their wispy tentacles, outpouring from their fingers like a dirty waterfall, have already caressed your mind.

Lethargy is first to strike. She sees you, confused with tasks and life in general. And so she pulses you with her evil touch. Sometimes it fails, and you shake it off briskly and find your way through the mire.

But Lethargy isn't afraid to repeat her sinister seduction. Once you're under her spell, her three Sisters of Merciless contrive and combine to reel you into their lair and add you to the notches on their maladjusted bedpost.

Once Lethargy has polluted your thoughts for a few minutes - and be in no doubt, friends, that it only takes the briefest of moments for Lethargy to work her dark magic; once those minutes have elapsed, you will soon be tossed through time to the grimy mitts of Inaction.

Sometimes Inaction strikes quickly, in concert with Inertia. Often Inaction is disguised as her fair cousin Hope, when you grasp at any plan, any promise of action for ways to combat Lethargy. Inaction is at her most devious here: once the mask slips you're a whirling Dervish at the font of Inaction's metamorphosis into the third heir apparent, Inertia.

Toxicity seeps from her ugly wounds. She is the angriest of practitioners in the style of neopaganism. Inertia is where despairing souls turn to before conceding to the fourth and most spirit-destroying sibling.

Inertia is the deepest ravine, the feistiest ocean. Fighting Inertia is futile. And once Inertia has clasped you close to her withered bosom, you acknowledge future is to be full of pain and denial. Defeat and despair. For when that day comes you will be riddled with thoughts of Inability, and she will possess you 'til the end of time.

The four witches circle the cauldron of pain, misery and sorrow. In perpetuity they toil, they spurn freshness in favour of foulness.

Do you want Lethargy? Do you want to be the next victim of the Sisters of Merciless?

Do not lay down your arms. Do not yield or sacrifice to the dark world of malaise.

Behold, for a new day dawns. A world in which you can defeat and destroy the rogue forces that threaten mankind.

For inside all of us rides a brave knight on a white steed. Their name in unison is Action.

Liz Oakes tells me of a poverty-ridden community that gave their all to the victims of Haiti. The poor, sacrificing for the poorer. Action.

Another: "I saw a CEO of a good company cremate bodies of those who had died alone in despair. This is a great act since their beneficiaries will not be able to give anything in return." Action.

A hotel company gave away free nights to random customers. An elderly couple had booked in to stay close to their grandchildren while the kids' parents were in hospital. They were given a free stay, saving them much-needed funds. Action.

"Two young girls went to the check out with two identical handfuls of candy. The clerk rang the first little girl up as the little girl held out a fistful of change. The clerks face sagged a bit as she told the young girl she did not have enough. Her friend immediately said she would put her candy back so she could help her little friend pay for her candy. Then a man directly behind them laid a 10 on the counter saying let them keep the change and hurried out to his car. The two were overjoyed and tried to thank the man but he was gone. It’s not always the largest of gifts that can have a very lasting effect on ones life." Action.

Jesus' death on the cross. Action.

"My favorite was hearing about a coffee house where customers were buying a cup for the next person in line. It’s a simple gesture, but definitely gives the next person in line a smile!" Action.

"Maria J. Dutra is the Founder and President of Elohim Adonai Charity Centre Inc. that is located at 1350 Main Street in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Maria is an amazing and inspirational woman who overcame serious medical conditions. She is is dedicated to helping the poor, the homeless and others in need." Action.

Of the Zeebrugge ferry disaster: "A woman told how her husband (Andrew Parker) had made himself into a human bridge so she and her daughter could climb across to safety - but when she called to him to follow he said there were others who needed help getting out. He has not been seen since." Action.

In Afghanistan Sergeant Craig Brelsford fought a war he couldn't win against Taliban opposition to recover the body of a fallen comrade. He, too, gave his life. Action.

And finally, from a good friend Kammi Hackett: " I know someone who while living abroad, put a young boy who lived in the slums through school. They went to the parents evenings to see how he was progressing, visited and encouraged him to do well so that he might have a different life to that of his family. I have always felt that acts that require you to sacrifice your time and effort are more valuable than those where one can just open their wallet." Action.

The witches are in perpetual misery. Not because of the task at hand, to which they commit wholly, without reservation. But for the rebellion by humankind against their mission to take this beautiful planet and turn it into a sanatorium of misery for lost, lazy souls.

We can all play our part, no matter how small, in conquering tumultuous malaise. It starts with baby steps. The desire to do, to act, to commit.

To be the best you can be.

Have you begun?