Adventures Without a Cause By Will Gadd

Rating: ****

This article speaks about how many people love to mix adventure and philanthropy, in order to make it seem as though they aren’t doing an expedition for themselves, but rather the greater good of the world.

            I strongly agree with the point of the author, if you are doing some sort of expedition, be honest with yourself, and everyone around you. You are doing this because you want to, not because you have some burning desire to solve the world’s problems. But, as the author points out, if your expedition garners lots of media and press attention, that would be an appropriate time to increase and spread awareness about your cause. Realistically, if you were devoted to your cause, you would be putting the thousands of dollars you are to spend on your adventure, towards it rather than spend it on your own travels. For example, you’re climbing Mount Everest in order to raise money for impoverished children in Africa, wouldn’t it just make more sense to put the money you are spending on your trip towards the children in Africa? I believe the real reason people are mixing the two, expedition and charity, is to avoid guilt. You may feel guilt as a result of spending your money on your own expedition rather than put that money directly towards your cause. In order to diminish the guilt of spending that money on themselves, they will dress it up and claim to be doing it for their favourite charity.

This article has opened my eyes to this issue. If ever I find myself wanting to do some sort of fancy and expensive adventure, I won’t claim to be doing it for anyone but myself. I don’t believe that charity and self-fulfilling adventures mix.

Gadd, Will. “Adventures Without a Cause”. Explore Magazine. Summer 2012. Issue 174.