For as long as we have been able to record history, we’ve been fighting for or against something. In America, it is embedded in our DNA, the very fabric of the foundation of our country.

Every essence of who we are weaves a tapestry of rebellion, big and small. Our government, our clothes, our music are all based on the simple notion that how it is or was or might be is just not what we want. This is us and this is the U.S.: many individuals coming together, despite differences, to create a We.

And I will be among the first to agree that a voice of dissension in any discussion is a good way to bring balance and hopefully, better judgment.

But are we out of ideas on what we’re so riled up about? Or just completely misguided on what should matter? Because, when I digest the current events, those are the only two possible outcomes I can come up with.

My social media timelines are filled with basically one thing: the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

Either people are doing it, or posting reasons why they aren’t doing it.

Is the Ice Bucket Challenge self-congratulatory? Yes, it is.

And that’s sort of the genius of it, tapping into the social narcissism of our current society and flipping it on its head to create something good out of it.

Sorry if this is breaking news, but social media in general is self-congratulatory. So before you scoff at it, think of every time you’ve posted a selfie, a picture of your awesome kids, your awesome life, the latest concert you attended or how great of time you are having on your vacation.

The entire point of social media is a page dedicated to you, ran by you and about you for others to learn and hear more about you, your life and how your world is going.

So yes, the Ice Bucket Challenge used that simple fact and twisted it to the advantage of a good cause for a terrible disease.

Some groups have targeted the use of animals or embryos used in some forms of ALS research, other groups targeted the “misuse” of water.

And this is what our rebellions have come to? Fight the power! Go against the grain! Let’s do a quick search on all those against the forms of ALS research using human embryos and animals. I hope they are staunchly, devoutly pro-life and no other support is offered for the systematic use of human embryos. Additionally, let us hope no one has a pair of leather shoes, sofa or fur coat lying around.

As for the water, I hope those all those water conservationists out there upset that people using bowls and buckets of water they pay for don’t take a dip in the pool, fill a water balloon or turn on the hose to let their kids use a Slip N Slide. Come to think of it, I just feel bad for their children.

The numbers do not lie: a record breaking amount of money raised and new donors brought in since this challenge began. Last year, during the same time period, the ALS Association raised $2 million. This year it’s $42 million and counting.

And it’s not enough. They need this every year, as certainly countless other organizations do.

By 2025, 1 in every 25 American adults will be diagnosed with ALS, Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s. These are the horrible diseases that no one wants to see up close or personal, ripping the mind and the body of its functional uses.

And yet, some still take the angle of complaining or rebellion over the Ice Bucket Challenge.

Is there literally nothing left that we aren’t willing to condemn and complain about anymore?

If you are frustrated with your social media timeline’s contents, fret not, there are a few options:

• Wait it out, Candy Crush scores, cat videos and selfies will be back soon
• Don’t go on Facebook
• De-friend everyone who is posting about it or simply delete your account

I have to believe that dumping ice over your head and challenging others to do the same is one of the least offensive things that 90 percent of the social media community has published. If your venom comes from people dumping and not donating, then I would agree. ALS needs the money.

But the folks that are mad that people aren’t just donating and forgetting the ice? Again, you’re in the wrong medium then. Look at your feed, for crying out loud. We’ll post funny inside jokes and inappropriate pictures, share and re-tweet videos of cars, cats and bloopers, but we get offended when Joan asked Jane to donate $100 to ALS or dump a bucket of ice water and donate $10?

Well, look at us! All of the children from the 70s, 80s and 90s, so rebellious despite being all grown up. In truth, we’re running out of things to really rebel against – or we just stopped paying attention to what matters.

It would seem that there are much larger and more complex problems going on in the world.

We just cannot get out of our own way. A vicious cycle of “me, me, me”, who betrayed whom, who’s failing us, why are we not where we want to be and who is to blame for it.

So yes, my family and I dumped buckets of ice on our heads and donated some money for a small fraction of the needed research for a wretched disease that most of us associate to a legendary former Yankee baseball player. Yes, we took the time to talk to our children about why people were dumping ice on their heads and what ALS is and what a terrible disease it was.

None of this should reveal anything about me remotely controversial.

It does not mean that we are anymore self-involved that anyone else on social media. It does not mean that I am no longer a staunch defender of life and that my devotion to my faith should be in question. It does not mean that by taking the challenge we did not donate or waste away a precious natural resource.

It was just a thing. And sometimes, that’s all it is.

Don’t ruin a good thing.

After all, it could be you or someone you love in 2025 in need of research findings the money raised in 2014 funded.

Now, remind me: what are we fighting for?

To make a donation to the ALS Association, click here. 

To learn more about ALS, click here.