Awareness....

Really???


I grow a heavy beard each winter--as I have for the past four or five years or so--since I virtually 'live' outside all winter long (running...snowshoeing...commuting to school by bike...etc). This year only--no one has ever asked me this before--people are wondering if I was growing the beard for 'the red sox' or 'Boston Strong stuff' or 'No Shave November' for prostate cancer awareness, and more. No. I dont do 'causes.' I dont wear cute plastic bracelets. And what all this asking has taught me is that Americans these days love to be 'aware' of things because, in my opinion, there is nothing more 'American' during these times than being 'aware.'

I, myself, am totally 'aware' of all the bad parts of the world...all the diseases....all the strife and despair and heartache. I know it exists. If anyone, for example, is not 'aware' of breast cancer in 2013, then they have been living underneath a rock. But what is all this 'awareness' about, and why do I think it is so perfectly suited to lazy Americans? I think we all love this whole 'awareness' thing because it requires ABSOLUTE NO WORK on our part. We can be 'aware' of Autism or Fibromyalgia or Perfringens or alien abductions and be trendy and show all our friends our cute stickers on our SUVs.....and then do absolutely nothing else. To be 'aware' only necessitates that we know something exists. That's it. There's no volunteering or exercising or cutting out anything from our diets or spending any more time than is necessary with our kids.  "Yes, I am totally aware of Hodgkins Lymphoma. It is a disease. I have heard of people in the world having it. That is all. Look at me." What are you 'doing' when you are 'aware?'

Enough is enough already. Go do something about something and stop buying so many stickers.

Go outside.