What Kind of Difference?
North Texas Daily, 11/01

I'm a busy guy. My friends hate that about me, too.

Like many working students, I'm trying to keep that healthy balance between an above-average GPA, work responsibilities, and whatever extracurricular activities I can squeeze in. We don't have much time for volunteer work.

I have always had a sincere desire to help other people. I was in Boy Scouts most of my teenage years and loved the community service angle of it. And there are few things that satisfy me more in life than helping out someone in distress. Yet for some reason, I’m made to feel guilty for not being more involved.

Last weekend was the 11th Make a Difference Day. The founders of this makeshift holiday, USA Weekend, report 2.6 million people volunteered for the day.

What kind of difference are they talking about? The Make a Difference Day organizers prefer community clean-ups, nursing home visits, Christmas toy collections, et cetera. All worthy causes. Why, then, do I have absolutely no desire to join in the day’s activities? Why does the concept of Make a Difference Day make me cringe? Is it too cheesy, too commercialized, too over-dramatized, or what?

So I’m left feeling like the bad guy—Some cold-hearted, right wing stoic who has no desire to pick up a Hefty bag and pick up beer bottles leftover from Friday night.

But then again, maybe I’m feeling what millions of other Americans are feeling: Overload. In this information age, there are about as many philanthropic, charitable, and community service causes to choose from as there are Americans! There may be a reason why 2.6 million out of 260 million Americans were involved.

For example, consider how many “awareness months” there are in a year. It’s more than 12. Just this month, it’s breast cancer, AIDS, domestic violence, disabillity employment, and pregnancy and infant loss awareness month (and those are just the official awareness months sanctioned by government agencies and recognized by the president).

It’s also Islam, vegetarian, energy, child health, dental hygiene, depression education, family sexuality, healthy lung, and home indoor air quality awareness month.

Just about every widespread disease known to man has its own awareness month. October is also spina bifida, down syndrome, and progressive supranuclear palsy awareness month.

Do you want a cause to champion next month? November is diabetes, alzheimer’s, child safety and protection, adoption, bone marrow donation, Native American heritage, and lung cancer month. With lung cancer month, healthy lung month from October is repeated. But in November we have the Great American Smoke Out, so I suppose we can have lung awareness next month, too.

Gov. Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania declared November to be assisstive technology awareness month (is “assisstive” even a word?).

And a special interest group, Clean Air Revival, Inc., has declared November as national Wood Smoke Awareness Month, to educate the public of the alleged dangers of carcinogens produced by wood fireplaces!

They are all worthy causes, and all are worthy of our attention and prayers. Is it any wonder why the average American feels overwhelmed, and is apathetic? One must choose his battles wisely.

Being merely aware is not enough. For instance, we’re very aware of AIDS in this country, but HIV infection continues. There must be something more we can do than just be aware. When we roll up our sleeves to make a difference, we have to ask ourselves “what difference am I making?” Is it worth the effort?

AIDS awareness militants pass out condoms to teenagers and host fundraisers on a weekly basis, but to no avail. Yes, they’re out there trying to “make a difference,” but what kind of difference? Not all difference is good.

I would ask those picking up trash and planting flowerbeds on Make a Difference Day what they are doing in their daily lives to help, and love, their fellow man.

What about us? How many of us interrupt our schedule to give a student stranded in a commuter lot a jumpstart? How many of us stop to hold a door open for a frantic TA encumbered with a stack of papers in her arms? How many of us would dare lend a friend five bucks for lunch?

I’m convinced that it’s the little things we do that make a positive difference in our little corner of the world. Those little things amount to bigger things in the long run.