Everybody's Doing It!

Okay, not everybody, but it seems that the ALS 'Ice Bucket Challenge' has taken the world ( and Whitehall, Montana ) by storm! Some have noted the senseless & even selfish nature of the 'challenge'! Others accuse ALS of supporting abortion through their stem cell research! Whatever the case may be, the 'challenge' seems to have raised a lot of consciousness & awareness world-wide, as well as providing a fun, if somewhat dangerous past-time for some people!

Don't get me wrong, I get that having ice-water dumped over one's head is supposed to give people an idea of what it can be like for one who suffers from ALS, with the struggle, especially in the latter stages, for every breath! It is easy to empathize, especially after experiencing the 'challenge', with those who do have to struggle for every breath ( I struggle with this myself, sometimes ), and in a way, this is a show of support ( taking the 'challenge' ) for those who struggle thus, but would it not be a better show of support to simply donate?

From what I've heard & read, the 'challenge' was to donate money to the cause or be doused with a bucket of ice-water. Another was to donate a lesser amount and be doused anyway! To donate or not to donate is a personal choice, so whether you take 'the challenge' or not, the choice is up to you!

Is it a waste of water, as some have been heard ( and seen ) to complain? Sure it is, but much less than we Americans wast everyday on washing our vehicles, doing our dishes, taking long, hot showers, etc.! How many of us think, when we carelessly do any one of these things, of those less fortunate, even in our own country, who cannot afford to waste water in those ways? Many in certain African nations don't even have the available water necessary for the mundane tasks of everyday life!

The ALS Foundation even has this notation on their website;

• Please be thoughtful about water usage! If you’re in an area of the country or world affected by drought, repurpose the water for later use or help spread ALS awareness by becoming an ALS advocate, joining the Walk to Defeat ALS® in your community, getting involved in our fundraisers, or sharing information about this disease via social media. Or you can make a donation instead atwww.alsa.org/donate.

If someone wants to pour a bucket of ice-water over their head and challenge their friends to do the same; I'm not going to condemn them for it, but neither will I participate! I'm very comfortable, especially as we rocket forward, especially here in Montana, into the Fall season, with taking nice hot ( or warm ) showers indoors! If someone else wants to dump ice water all over their head & body when it could be used for better purposes, that's up to them, but you won't find me doing that, especially not in this weather ( I wouldn't even do that on a hot Summer day! )!

Peace Out, all you 'wet-backs'; go soak your heads!

Charles Haddon Shank

P.S. We seem to have forgotten, as Christians, the biblical injunction found in Matthew chapter 6;

Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.