The Ice Bucket Challenge. It is blowing up social media news feeds everywhere! Things like this start out as a novelty and then get old–fast. The naysayers and the proponents thereof come out of the woodwork to criticize and advocate for things like this in record numbers. I have seen so meany memes, I could open a gallery. I have seen twice the number of videos accepting the challenge though. You know what most of them are? People dunking themselves with water. Does that do much for the organization? No. Is it funny? Sometimes. Does it waste water? Of course. Is all that important? Not really. I am a bit of a “live and let live” kind of person. I don’t like peer pressure or being told what to do though. (Probably an underlying issues there). However, here are my thoughts.
1.) I am not sure why you would’t just donate to the organization.
2.) I am not sure why you wouldn’t share more facts about ALS in your video if by accepting the challenge you are NOT donating. Raise more awareness. You have people’s attention with your video so share a factoid about ALS before you torture your body with ice water. Make it count!
3.) Even if you donate. Did it change you? Do you donate to anything regularly? Is being involved in an organization your goal or was “being included” more your goal?
So this may seem super negative and I apologize. I love the fact that this organization hit the donation lottery. I do. It just brings to light that people–when motivated by trendiness–will do good. Why can’t this be a way of life? Why can’t people just get involved on the regular? That is my ultimate issue–that and most of the folks that took the challenge didn’t donate and didn’t educate themselves about ALS.
I am putting my money where my mouth is.
Though we donate to multiple charities each month, I DID donate my $100 to the National MS Society. I have a sister who has recently been diagnosed with MS and my focus has been on educating myself about this disease and I felt the donation needed to go there. I posted the above picture as my way of saying I heard the nomination and I will bend my personal rules and succumb to a Facebook call out. I am also writing this post to enlighten someone on the disease I too am learning about.
This is information directly from the National MS Society’s website. Here is your “Learn Something New Every Day” moment for today:
Multiple sclerosis (MS) involves an immune-mediated process in which an abnormal response of the body’s immune system is directed against the central nervous system (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. The exact antigen — or target that the immune cells are sensitized to attack — remains unknown, which is why MS is considered by many experts to be “immune-mediated” rather than “autoimmune.”
- Within the CNS, the immune system attacks myelin — the fatty substance that surrounds and insulates the nerve fibers — as well as the nerve fibers themselves.
- The damaged myelin forms scar tissue (sclerosis), which gives the disease its name.
- When any part of the myelin sheath or nerve fiber is damaged or destroyed, nerve impulses traveling to and from the brain and spinal cord are distorted or interrupted, producing a wide variety of symptoms.
- The disease is thought to be triggered in a genetically susceptible individual by a combination of one or more environmental factors.
- People with MS typically experience one of four disease courses, which can be mild, moderate or severe.
See, now you learned something about MS, I donated to them and gave you a link to do the same. There has been a ripple in the (ice) water. Now I am not asking you to jump on this MS bandwagon, or the ALS one for that matter. I am asking you to break out of your bubble, find an organization that you feel passionate about and learn more. Then, if you can even spare $5 a month, commit to giving to them regularly. That is what will change you and the organization. For the long haul.
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