Look at your wrist right this second. What’s on it? If it’s one of those rubber "cause" bracelets such as LIVESTRONG or Save Darfur then I want you to take a minute and really think about why you have this accessory. Did someone give it to you as a gift? Was it being given out for free and you just took it? Or did you really choose that piece of rubber because it meant something to you?

It occurred to me the other day that a lot of people adorn themselves with causes: for instance, the (RED) campaign. This was started to raise awareness about the AIDS epidemic in Africa and to raise money to help with medical supplies and research to fight AIDS. (RED) can be found on t-shirts, cell phones, and iPods. But the question I pose is this: Do you really care about the cause you just supported? Does it matter to you that the proceeds are going toward something noble, or was the item on sale and you just went for it?

Americans today don’t have any compassion for the things happening around the world. We as a society simply gravitate to the newest global trend. Everyone wanted to "Save Darfur" for about a month until they decided to rescue the child soldiers in Uganda. Then we decided to look to a bigger fight and choose AIDS. Once that gets boring we completely forsake Africa to run off and save polar bears. What’s going to be next?