Hi Mike,
I LOVE this post!!!  Thank you for writing it.  I believe that people become passive because it's safe.  If I don't take a risk, (stand up for my beliefs, donate my time, do the project I've been procrastinating,etc) I won't risk ridicule or failure.  Yet in my opinion, following that passive approach, one also does not experience life to it's fullest; one cannot fully embrace the joys of life without also experiencing it's pain.
Kelly Ketelboeter (<a href="http://leadchangegroup.com/members/ketelboeterpr/" rel="nofollow">@KetelboeterPR</a>) and I discussed something along these lines a few weeks ago.  We were talking about how "ignorance is bliss".  It's true.  It also carries with it a heavy burden.  Underlying that bliss is true knowledge.  This knowledge can only be suppressed for so long.  Eventually, truth starts to seep into awareness, cause discomfort and force your hand.  At that point, you can choose to do nothing, or choose to make a difference.  Either way, there is a choice that results in a behavior.  Doing nothing is a behavior.
Thank you for posing the challenge to do something, anything!  And to challenge ourselves to take a closer look at how we view others and the world.
Cheers,
Jen