While raising awareness has it’s place, I think more often than not, we’re doing it wrong.
Yes, it’s good to be made aware of things going on in the world around us that we might not have known previously, but this is useless if we don’t do anything about what we learn.
Awareness is not the only step. In fact, to stop there, being made aware of problems, only to turn away and do nothing or do merely enough to make you feel like you are doing something, this makes the awareness pointless.
After awareness, the natural next step, is to find your role in fixing the problem.
Now it’s true, we can’t fix every problem we come across. We can’t fight every battle. But we can fight some, and I think most of us are not fighting much of anything.
I remember a few years back in April, so many people changed their profile pictures to children’s characters for child abuse awareness month. There are all sorts of simple awareness efforts going on like this all aroud us. A red ex on the hand to end human trafficking, going barefoot for a day for the children who don’t own shoes. The list of awareness efforts goes on and on. After awhile, we become desensitized to it all.
Sure, we’ll change our profile pictures or share an image, but what are we doing that stirs us into action. What will be left of our efforts when Facebook is as empty as myspace and the ink has long faded from our hands. What then? What lives have been changed?
These days, people are aware of most causes, some still need to be spoken for, yes, please. But also show how people can make a difference. I do not want to be made aware if I cannot also help. If I’m not also being spurred into action. True action. Not a mumbled prayer until I feel better about myself, but collective hours spent on my knees or weeks (even years!) spent striving for change.
A profile picture doesn’t change lives, neither do *most* of the awareness efforts that we participate in these days. But they do make us feel like we’re doing something. They are enough to give us the warm-fuzzies and convince our hearts we are a part of something important. We are AWARE. But we aren’t changing anything.
Today, I encourage you to find your fight, and get engaged. Seek out organizations that are actively doing good to change something and find out how you can help. Maybe it’s financial gifts, maybe it’s the gift of time, and yes, maybe it’s prayer. But do something real. Don’t just be aware of everything, involved in nothing.
Create change in the world, it doesn’t need to be the entirety of the earth, but one child, on human life changed. Change their world. It will take more than a swapped profile picture or an X on the hand. Change is much harder, much messier and much less glamorous than that. In fact, people probably won’t see you working behind the scenes to change lives, but it can be done. It should be done.
Let awareness drive you into action this year. The kind that may be seen by all of your Facebook friends, but also might not be known by any except the person you are helping.
Again, you won’t be able to help every cause. We each only have so many hours in a day, but pray about which ones you should be involved in, and find out how you can help.
What causes are you most passionate about? What steps will you take this year to move beyond “awareness” efforts and into action?
disclaimer – I’m not trying to attack every awareness effort out there. I know that many of them are doing good. No action can be taken unless we are first made aware of an issue. But it should not stop with an X on the hand, a changed profile picture or a viral video being shared one more time. That can’t be the end anymore. We can do more than that. We need to do more.
Debra @ MsMoozys Open House says
This is a great post and thank you for bringing this forward, posting about what is in your heart. :-)
Paula says
Thank you Debra!
Stephanie says
I agree 100% and it actually angers me in many cases. Did you see the recent Facebook one where you’re suppose to post a picture of yourself without makeup to “raise cancer awareness”?
IS ANYONE UNAWARE THAT CANCER IS A THING? ANYONE? HELLO? BUELLER?
No. Everyone that could make a difference is already aware. There is literally NOTHING a photo like that does to help a single person with cancer. If anything, it felt condescending. “Oh, look at me, I don’t have cancer. I have all my hair, I have my health, and I’m not too vain to show myself without makeup. Please ignore the women who never wear makeup. They’re… uh… yeah. They don’t count, I guess…. Uh… just pay attention to MY photo, and oh right something about cancer.”
Want to do good? Donate clothes, toys, blankets to children’s hospitals. Donate to cancer research. Raise money for cancer research and hospitals. My family has been donating to a children’s hospital in Lubbock since 2001. Toys every Christmas, blankets, beanies, cash, etc. Every.single.year. we do the Lindsey Callaway Memorial Toy Drive.
If every person who uploaded a photo instead donated $5, imagine the REAL difference that could be made.
Pediatric cancer gets just 4% of funding each year. FOUR FREAKING PERCENT. That is a statistic that should anger every single person on this planet. It’s disgusting. Where are the “Save the kids” t-shirts and bracelets and bumper stickers? WHEN DID BOOBS BECOME MORE IMPORTANT THAN OUR FUTURE?
While people who participate in these “raising awareness” things have good intentions, it is NOT the same as seeing the faces of those sick kids who, for many, are getting their ONLY Christmas present from our toy drive because their family is broke after paying to keep their kid alive.
I really hate to be the person who says “I do more than you,” but well…. if all you do is post a photo, yeah, I do more than you, and honestly, I’m not going to pat YOUR back.
Paula says
Yes, while it’s not a competition, we all need to take a long look at what we are doing (if anything) and evaluate what we could and should be doing. Thanks for sharing your story! Sounds like you are involved in a lot of awesome things!
Megan Hall says
I love this post! I wrote something similar when that story about the teenage boy, Davion, who went into the church asking for a family was being shared constantly on the internet. Sharing things on the internet is important, but it’s easy. Like you said, making a difference isn’t easy. It requires sacrifice. If everyone who shared Davion’s story would look into adoption or foster care, there’d be a lot less kids without families to love them.
Paula says
Very good point!
Shell says
I know there are some silly things done out there in the name of awareness. And really, it’s not doing much or taking much effort. Then again, maybe something little will spark a conversation with someone else and enlighten them on an issue. And it’s impossible to take up every issue out there, so we each find the ones that are near and dear to our hearts and maybe do more for those, but do something little for another cause, just to show support to our friends. It does need to go beyond that for whatever issue you really want to make a difference for, but I don’t mind the small gestures.
Lisa @ Atypical Familia says
So very true! As a special needs moms, I get this. April is Autism Awareness Month and people will walk and wear blue but then April is over and it’s on to the next cause. While I appreciate the effort to share awareness, there needs to be follow up and consistence for any change to come about.
Nannette and the Sweetheart says
Loved this post! So true…help me to actually make a difference..not to be seen or heard. Blessings, I am your newest follower! Visiting from Living Proverbs 31
Elizabeth says
Great post. With all the attacks on our soldiers in the fall of 2012 and the Benghazi scandal going on, we felt we needed to do something for our soldiers. We immediately signed up for AdoptAUSSoldier.org. A free organization that helps our service men and women receive mail in the form of letters and/or packages for the duration of their deployment. Whether I agree with the reasons they are deployed or not, I still feel I should do something to help these men and women who are willing to die so that I may have the freedom to vote. The cost of a stamp every week if what it costs to say thank you.
Thanks for reminding people that actions are just as important if not more so, than words.
Rosilind Jukic says
Thank you so much for bringing this up. I think that so many times these awareness campaigns are more like bandwagons that become the popular thing to do….without doing anything. Changing your profile picture or wearing odd-matched socks is something so easy to do that doesn’t cost us anything or require any sort of sacrifice…but it soothes our conscience and makes us feel better about ourselves for having done something – even though that something has done nothing at all to bring about a resolution or support a cause that needs financial backing. And, as you said, we’ve become very desensitized to the very real needs around us. I speak to so many missionaries who are discouraged and horribly lonely because while people throw around the word “missional” with growing regularity, they fail to do something as simple as contact their missionary to let them know they are praying for them or something as needful as send a small offering every month. The truth is that some are nearly entirely without funding and completely without any moral support at all.
Linda says
well said, Paula. Our family makes deliberate decisions on the ’causes’ we support and become active in. But many people, friends and strangers alike, seem to look down on us sometimes because we do not play along with most of the little actions like changing profile pictures or wearing a certain color. Each of us has opportunity to give, serve, make a difference right where God has us – praying we all make the most of that opportunity rather than being pressured into following along just for the sake of being part of the crowd.
Katie at This Mom's Heart says
Thank you for this perspective and call to action.
I also think that sometimes trying to raise awareness is needlessly inflammatory. In the past week I have seen three or four people on my Facebook news feed post articles about vaccinations. Here’s the thing: Articles like that aren’t going to change anyone’s mind. If you have decided to not vaccinate your children, an article about the mumps is probably not going to convince you otherwise. If you are pro-vaccination, articles from natural health websites aren’t going to change your mind. All it does is cause a huge debate between two warring factions. One of those posts ended up with over 100 comments- just from his “friends”- and they focused less on the issue and more on name-calling. Sometimes it is best to realize you are beating a dead horse and to leave it alone.
Joining from the Titus 2 Tuesday linkup. :)
Keri says
I’ve had very similar thoughts! Thank you for sharing!
Jessica says
Agreed! I often wonder about these awareness efforts and if they even do anything. Thanks for sharing!
Sara says
Great post! Keep motivating!
Sara
Lisa @ The Wellness Wife says
Thank you for having the courage to say this. “Awareness” has been a feel-good window dressing for so long. I am also frustrated with so many fundraisers for “the cure.” I want real research and promotion for getting to the bottom of causes of disease. Obviously, I want to find a cure for people who have cancer. But even more so, I want to find out why so many people are being diagnosed with cancer. It’s the food we eat, the chemicals we put on and in our bodies, it’s the pollution around us. Yet, no one wants to face to face the facts that we need to make lifestyle changes.