No,
I’m not the angry blogger in today’s post. As a matter of fact, I’m the hopeful
one, and I think you might feel more hopeful by the end of this. I suppose I
should tell you what I’m talking about, though. A couple of days ago, I started
noticing a lot of angry posts on Facebook and on blogs about breast cancer
awareness. Many people, including one particularly angry blogger, were talking
about what breast cancer wasn’t. It wasn’t some fun campaign about saving the
tatas, and it certainly had nothing to do with football. According to this person,
breast cancer was being taken entirely too lightly. Prayers didn’t do any good,
crude bumper stickers were sexist and insulting, jerseys failed to acknowledge
anything, and in general, breast cancer was a life and death risk that we
should all be afraid of. I agree to a small extent. Breast cancer is a life or
death thing that has nothing to do with bumper stickers or sports. Here’s the
thing, though. All the blogger did was complain about what people weren’t doing
and how what they were doing was completely wrong. This person provided no link
to a charity we could give to or no person we could directly support. They only
complained. It’s like that’s what we’ve become in the blogging community. We
think we’re activists because we complain about something, but at the end of
the day, our complaints without actions do absolutely nothing. Here’s what I’ll
tell you about breast cancer.
Go
buy a bumper sticker in bad taste. Yes, it can be a little offensive to the
sensitive, and no, I don’t think you should put it on your car, but it does do
one thing good. Most of the proceeds go to breast cancer research. If you’re a
football fan, go buy your favorite player’s jersey in pink because that too
supports cancer research. Afterward, pray whether you believe in God or not.
Pray for the people affected by this disease because someone very powerful just
might be listening to you. Finally, celebrate with a pink five hour energy
drink. If you have a loved one affected by this, I would urge you not to be
completely negative with them about their condition like the blogger I
mentioned was. They need positivity now more than ever. Yes, they’re in a life
or death situation, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need love and even
laughter through the process.
You
see, while another blogger is angry with the ways we choose to support victims
of breast cancer, I’m amazed and very hopeful. There’s a way to support the
affected, no matter what kind of person you are. Maybe you’re a person who just
finds bumper stickers that might be offensive to some fun. Is it the most
glamorous way to support someone? No, but it’s support. The people affected by
breast cancer have the support of intellectuals, the more relaxed, sports fans,
religious people, scientists, and doctors all over the world. Whether you’re a
man or a woman, white or black, or a believer or a non-believer, you’ve
probably bought a product that supported breast cancer without even realizing
it. It’s amazing at all the support there is, and yes, I know some would like
it to be more serious, but when you’re fighting for a cure, it doesn’t matter
where the money came from. All that matters is that it keeps coming in. We’re
close to a cure, and as bloggers, if we’ll start thinking in terms of what we can do instead of what isn’t being
done right, we might just be a small part of what leads to a cure one day.
Maybe all we’ll be is support to someone in need, but either way, what I’m
trying to say is that there’s no wrong way to show support. In this fight, the
only thing there isn’t room for is destructive anger. Give your money, prayers,
love, and jokes to the people who need research, comfort, and a smile. When
you’ve done that, I think you’ll find there’s no reason to complain about what others
are or aren’t doing. This world is a very hopeful place, and regardless of what
you’ve heard, it’s getting better every day. Remember that, and move on doing
whatever it is you can for anyone in need.
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