Why I won't be doing the #icebucketchallenge

It seems that you can not get awy from the hype and awareness raised by ALS in their 'Ice Bucket Challenge'. It's all over every news feed and it's a great way of seeing people unite together in something that is both fun and charitable. 

My brothers were both nominated and made some very entertaining videos. It's all good fun and part of me would like to try to match their standard, however, I feel that I have to stick to my guns. 

Yesterday, my brother nominated me for the 'Ice Bucket Challenge' and, as you've probably gathered, I will not be taking part. 

Now, I don't want to be a fun sponge or hypocritical, but I thought that it would be important to talk about what bothers me about pouring a bucket of cold water on your head. 

I want to start by saying that I think that ALS holds a good objective: the facilitation of people affected by the motor neurone disease. I know that some ethical issues regarding animal testing have been raised about the charity but what I want to talk about today is the awareness campaign itself. 

Perhaps it's because I am currently in Dubai, a city that pours so much money and energy into the desalination of water. This is a process that is costly, damaging to the oceans that surround the UAE and has an impact on green house gas emissions. 

With this knowledge and perhaps even without it, it is so important to realise how fortunate we are. For every one of us that has access to clean running water, so many people don't. 

It is, looking at the scene from a large, a huge waste of water. It's hard to imagine what it might be like not to have water but, if you are able to, imagine that you are starving. Imagine that you have not had enough food to eat for the last week and have no idea when the next meal will come. You are dependent upon rain that does not arrive and soil that is far beyond infertile. And then you see a picture of people in neighbouring countries, throwing vast amount of spaghetti bolognese around in a global food fightand stuffing their trousers with as many slices of bread that can fit, then nominating others to do it too. 

This situation isn't the same but it's very similar. 

Yes, it's true that the water will evaporate into its natural cycle and that we aren't technically throwing away water but the toll that it takes on the environment to give us back drinkable water comes at a large cost. 

So, I suppose what I'm saying is just that we should all remember that we are fortunate to have water and try to conserve it. 

BUT, please remember that I don't frown upon people who have completed the ice bucket challenge. If we were all like me, this would be some awareness campaign and ALS would have fundraised considerably less. 

I am aware of how much water I waste daily on showers and washing up and whatever else. And so I'm not saying that I don't. But in the ways that we can, I believe that we should make a difference and change our habits because, if not us, then who? 

It has been fun to watch the challenges and I think everyone should be proud but, from my personal standpoint, I wanted to stick with an opinion that I am passionate about. The world needs opinions and it depends on all of us to be different. 

I will be accepting the donation part of the challenge, however, in doing what I can for a charity that does remarkable work for people all around the world and that is WaterAid. 

So, I nominate everyone reading, sharing and liking this post to take time to think about the water that they use today. I also nominate you to do something good for charity and to stand up for what you believe in. 

The Riddler

Every story is biased. Perspective on narrative can make you live one tale, one life, a thousand times over. Our human need and desperation to tell stories in our day to day life is impulsive.

Yes, it's day one at Uni and, despite being late to the first 9am lecture, this is what I've learned. Pretty inspiring stuff! In fact, I was very motivated by this. My lecturer for my Narrative and Cultural Identity in the Hispanic World module has linked, unknowingly, to purpose of his introductory lecture very nicely with my own slogan of this blog.

Turning old pages, reading new words (the name of my blog) has a couple of conceptual meanings. Basically, what I'm getting at is that we all live life. Fact. But how you live your life is different to how I live mine and not simply because we are living different lives with different goals. If I put myself in your life and you put yourself in mine, you still wouldn't live the my life. You would, physically, live mine, but spiritually you wouldn't. Your take on things would be completely different. Whether you met a cloudy day with apprehension and anxiety or whether you met it with thick coats and wellies would determine how differently that one day would take form. Perspective can make you live your life a thousand times over. 

History is a classic take on the modern story. I absolutely love reading and writing. History employs the same skills. Those who dictate history have formulated the way in which it was told. Take the Titanic. Would history be different if a polar bear had told that story? If human were polar bears? Because, essentially, through global warming we are killing polar bears like humans off the Titanic. Granted; it was a horrible tragedy, there's no denying it. But, would it have been as shocking, as detrimental, as spirit changing if it had been 1,500 polar bears that had drowned off a floating breeze block of ice that had melted due to climate change induced by humans? Maybe. Would we have know about it? And if we hadn't, would we still be hanging on to the old cliche of 'just the tip of the iceberg'? Every story is biased. 

dailymail.co.uk

If I told you about me in a verbal diarrhea form of biography, there would be things I wouldn't tell you because I wouldn't want you to know. There are things I would forget to tell you, because I wouldn't think that you needed you to know. And there would be things I would make better. Those would be the type of things I would want you to remember. And, whether you're willing to accept it or not, you would do the same. But whatever I did or didn't tell you, if asked, I would reel of some sort of cabaret.
"It's not that interesting but..." Storytelling is as much an impulse as those functions we can't control. 

And like that above, this whole post is an impulse. I needed to write, to share something pointless but hopefully enjoyable to tame the genuine inspiration I've been feeling today. If all my seminars are like this, bring on the next four years!