All weekend I fought back urges to share my two cents with the internet world. Facebook really does bring out the best in everyone. At the first sight of status updates regarding changing one's profile picture to a cartoon character in order to stop child abuse, I immediately felt confused. This confusion quickly transformed into my very least favorite attribute of myself: cynicism. I am thankful that I was able to repress each urge I had to announce, in the most passive aggressive way possible, my obvious disagreement with the viral trend happening before my eyes. I realized that at the root of my cynical nature is pride, and no matter how it manifests itself, pride is just about the most corrosive trait I can think of.
I was quick to find this blog, which I thought once or twice about posting as my status. I think it is well written and fairly concise, but I'm glad I didn't. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that what I was feeling was nothing more than entitlement. I felt entitled to judge others based on something as simple as changing a profile picture. Since I am not currently donating money to child abuse prevention charities or volunteering any of my time to stop the mistreatment of children, nobody else is either. At least I can admit that, instead of hiding behind a cartoon to convince myself and others that I'm actually making a difference.
That thought really did run through my head and I'm ashamed by it. If I'm really going to get irritated by something like that, I should be irritated by pink ribbons, American flags, etc. Sure, I think it's silly to argue that posting my bra color will do anything to help breast cancer research, but the fact that I'm sitting here posting this blog accomplishes what I think was intended by the facebook cartoon trend:awareness. The people who started this wanted conversations to start regarding the topic, and they did. I am proof.
This process of rooting out the things I don't like about myself is a long one, but I'm thankful that despite my cynical nature, I am able to think clearly once in a while.
