First update in several weeks. It’s the longest I’ve gone without doing
anything blog wise. I hadn’t posted for
weeks before but, even then, had been saving drafts showing things I’d done on
given days. This time I didn’t touch
it. Parents here for a few weeks,
followed by going straight back to work… and I decided to let it sit a while.
So no weekly. Just, in brief, had a good Thanksgiving break
with family in town. Much more of a
relaxed visit than most trips my parents make.
Join up with some cousins and an uncle and aunt for a bit too. And deal with the fallout of the shooting at
Parliament. Not much else going on.
November Dread
I’m beginning to dread November.
I’ve never had any real issue with the
month in the past. It’s a time for
hockey, both on my TV set or, as a kid, running the streets among friends. A time for comfy fleeces and warm cups of
soup.
But now it’s also Movember. Oh how I’m hoping that silliness to fade off
into the shadows of time. I haven’t
heard anything about it so far this year… and being October 30, that gives
hints of hope to me. But still I expect
it to come. To bombard us with wisps
upon lips… all under the guise of cancer research.
The cause is good. But we’re in an age of constant causes. And it’s no longer people taking it upon
themselves to give towards a cause they feel strongly about. No, now they have to make a production out of
it. Waving and begging “Look at me! I’m
doing good in the world!”
It’s cynical I know, but society is
becoming too caught up in gaining personal recognition for worthy causes. And seriously… Movember? Do we have to rename
perfectly good months with stupidity like that?
Plus I’ve seen too much of those that miss the point.
I have seen guys growing mustaches in
November but they made no effort to gain sponsors. Raising no money at all for cancer
research.
“So what are you doing growing the
mustache?” I asked.
“It raises awareness.” They said.
Quite a revolution against cancer that is…
you putting down the razor for a month will save the world.
Of course, there are other examples of this
now as well. The Ice Bucket Challenge
took over Facebook and Twitter for most of a month. How much good clean water was dumped down the
drain in order to raise money for ALS?
Corner stores sold out of bags of ice simply so they could be dumped
into a bucket of water for three seconds before getting thrown over a head and
to the ground. Surely, if a video feed
of the thousands of people doing this was sent to a third world nation where
water was consumed from mud puddles, they would look at us in horror.
There’s just too much sponsor requests
going on now. I’ve seen bikers for
cancer (pay me to ride my motorcycle).
Hair cuts for cancer (pay me to shave my head). And 24 hour runs for the cure (which, for too
many, amounts to an overnight drinkfest at an athletic track).
I give money to causes. And I think it’s good that other people give
money or volunteer as well. I’m just
tired of everything becoming a “look at me” event. There are some who now devote so much time
to canvasing for these causes, that their life appears to be nothing but jumping
from one event to the next. One month
dumping ice water over their head… the next month growing a mustache… two
months later their head is shaved and, when spring time comes, they break out
their motorcycle for the season… but ask you for money to ride it, all in the
name of charity.
Not everything in this world needs to
become a shared video. It really is ok
to do something for others without calling attention to yourself in the
process. And, for the love of God…
mustache or no, please give November its name back.
