Making It Up As I Go Along #595

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.