By learning from past, when everything is settled down, I can prepare for future changes. By improving myself, I can expand my sphere of influence and make better decisions for things that I can affect within my influence.
How exactly are you "improving yourself" and "expanding your sphere of influence"? And have any of those had more concrete results than attending city council meetings or telling your friends to vote for legalization?
Start a Tim Ferris style business, improve fitness(to increase lifespan), learn economic analysis, build social network and social skill and lot more.
And have any of those had more concrete results than attending city council meetings or telling your friends to vote for legalization?
My opinion is that I am unlikely to have concrete positive impact by voting in elections. I prefer to look for way to disrupt the democratic process and the current balance of power. That's a hard thing to do. (Some people might think I am evil for opposing democracies though)