You used to be able to just be a nice person. Now you're not a nice person unless you're magnanimous. Unfair?

What happened to just being a nice person. Why does everybody have to be a martyr and take care of the world? Nobody is allowed to breathe anymore. This all started with a high school history teacher I had in 1964 who was the first person I ever came in contact with that was a monster. You could never satisfy this no matter how many hoops you jumped through. Similar experiences?