The Act and the Reward

Well, well, well, doesn't it seem that there is some tension among the troops in this battle to conquer Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease?

Some people are only willing to fight if there is a guaranteed positive outcome for themselves. Unfortunately life has no guarantees. Everything is always half chance. All we can ever do is try.

It's sad to hear that some people are willing to fight only if they are rewarded. I know the reward being asked is not much. Sometimes it's just a simple beautiful "thank you". To me, that's a nice reward and more than anyone ever needs. But I think that when a person wants to be singled out and thanked above and beyond his peers, and above and beyond his fellow advocates, then this tells me that "to want" for the sake of yourself is a part of your character and you may never have taken part in the great effort if you would not be pulled aside and given a private "thanks".

I tell anyone who comes on my team that there are no rock stars here, and that people can check their ego at the door on the way in, or take it with them on the way out. I tell them if they want to be a hero, if they want big thank you, hugs, attention, fame, kind words of thanks, then they came here for the wrong reasons. I tell my team mates to never expect anything from anyone, anywhere. We aren't called the "Rock Stars", we're called "the Regulars". We have even gone so far as to create a set of 11 rules "the Regulars" must work under.

I tell them - you will never be paid to do this.
I tell them - you will actually have to pay for it yourselves in many ways; financially, physically, mentally, emotionally. A new person considering becoming one of "the Regulars" may ask "why we don't take advantage of these things by getting sponsors to cover our costs?" I say because this is your sacrifice. How do you expect others to sacrifice enough to make donations toward research on your behalf if you haven't paid your dues first.

If they have a hard time understanding that, or understanding the concept of doing something for the sake of good and not for thanks in any form - well then I tell them to imagine the top of a mountain they have been struggling to reach the summit of. They may have been climbing for days. They may have spent months preparing for the moment they reach the top. Their muscles burn. Their head aches. They are sick from fatigue or the altitude and find themselves throwing up on their own feet as they walk on. BUT, finally they get there and it's done....they made it to their goal. This is their summit.

I could tell them to look around them.
There is no welcoming committee.
There is no parade.
There are no banners flying with their names on them.
There is no hand shake or pat on the back.
There is no hug.
There is no one there to say thank you for doing this for the cause.
There's just you, the wind, the stone, the snow and the big silent world below you.

I could walk up to them there on the summit and ask "Why did you do this?"
"For the cause." they should say.
"Was it hard?"
"Yes, harder than anything I've ever done."
"What if it was harder, would you have done this?"
"Yes".
"Why?"
"Because doing what I can to conquer these diseases is too important not to try."
"Do you want anything in return?" I might ask.
There can only be one answer for anyone in "the Regulars", and it should always be the same. "Nothing other than the cures".

As I've said a thousand times... You can't give light to the sun. It was only made to give and never receive.

The moral behind this is that doing something good is both the "act" and the "reward".
There is no need for special attention or thank you's beyond that.

World up,
E