Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Why I "refuse" to support "Rosa bandet"


"Rosa bandet" (Pink ribbon) is a reoccurring charity event here in Sweden. It is to raise money to find a cure against breast cancer. So far so good. A good cause of course. There are many suffering because if their or others breast cancer. Still I have no urge what so ever to give any money to that cause. They raised 56 million SEK (=6 003 752,35 EURO).

What is my problem then? It is that it is so easy to give to such a neutral cause. There is not a soul anywhere that would think it is a BAD cause, that there are reason not to give money. I can't help feel that giving money to cancer research is a rather easy way to make you feel better. Not needing to think for more than 5 seconds, that is, how much money do I have in my wallet right now and can I afford to give those crowns by making one or two phone calls. No actual feelings (except for those who personally has been affected of course), no need for them. No thinking. No anger (pointing finger at a disease is rather difficult). No reasoning. No miles to conquer in your mind.

How can people give so much money to cancer but doing everything to avoid signing a free card, giving a few crowns (1 SEK = 0,11 EURO) taking another direction from point a to point b to avoid having to talk to a person, getting any piece of information, anything that would remind you of something else but the coffee you are about to have in that coffee shop with your friend and not to forget, the new pair of Levi's you just bought for about 70 EURO?

Again. What is my problem then? Lift your eyes and see MORE things, don't be so narrow minded, dare realizing that there is more. It won't go away just because you shut your eyes. I know, everybody can't care about everything...but so many people are talking about the potentials of people, show it that you have the potential to see more than one extremely non-controversial thing (in the sense that it need any thought about consequences), if you dare!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Jag tycker du ibland har så intressanta synpunkter att de borde sprida på tidningarnas eller nätets insändarsidor också. Fast på svenska. Det gör jag själv - öppet eller förklädd till Amnestgrupp.