To me, Joe Strummer signifies what one voice can do, and how that voice can go beyond the boxed in confines of a label. He, along with his bandmates in The Clash, helped educate a generation about the things happening in their own backyards and around the world. He taught that what happens to someone on the other side of the world should matter to us because it simply should. If we don't stand up and speak against known injustice then we are perpetrating injustice with our silence. We shouldn't look at civil rights or women's rights as specific causes, but instead look at them under the context of human rights because we are all just that - human. When we start categorizing ourselves and each other, we lose sight of our humanity and of our connection to other humans. We should matter to each other because we're all in the same boat. The Clash and Joe Strummer have inspired me through lyric and action to speak up, take a stand, help others, and encourage others through my own example, hopefully. He wasn't a saint, and neither were his bandmates, but they tried. And that alone is enough to raise the stakes for the rest of us to try as well. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Strummer If you can find a sample of "Redemption Song" that Joe did with Johnny Cash, I suggest you listen to it today. I hope it inspires you, if only to be more patient with the people at the mall during the holiday rush.

Peace.