The Next Challenge

Most Expeditions Are Primarily Selfish

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by

Tim Moss
in

Descent of 'London Bridge', Russian Altai (Photo: David Tett)

Most expeditions are primarily selfish.

That is no bad thing. It just means that, like many things in life, they tend to be done because someone wants to do them. Watching a DVD, going for a run, taking a holiday or eating a slice of cake would probably all get the same label.

That is not to say that they aren’t sometimes gruelling nor oftentimes of personal benefit. It is also not to say that they don’t sometimes bring about good: money raised for charity, scientific knowledge furthered, causes benefited.

But, for the most part, you are probably going on a expedition because you want to and I think that’s an important point to remember. Don’t kid yourself into thinking that your cause is noble unless it truly is.

You may be raising for charity and you may be talking in schools, and good on you for doing that, but that does not automatically elevate you or your expedition to higher moral ground.

Rather than striving for altruism, however, I would simply aim for honesty.

Expeditions can be fantastic in and of themselves, and the only people you have to justify that to is yourself and those you care about. If you also want to use such a project for the benefit of a greater good then go for it, but don’t fall foul of self-righteousness and mistake that as a replacement for the underlying motive (you just fancy going on a big adventure).

Comments

2 responses to “Most Expeditions Are Primarily Selfish”

  1. Anton-Motojournalism avatar
    Anton-Motojournalism

    Yeah there was a good article by Scott Brady in the Expedition Portal about getting sponsorship for your adventures entitled:
    The Truth About Expedition Sponsorship: What actually works and doesn’t make you look like a jerk

    An excerpt:

    “The Five DON’TS of Sponsorship:

    1. “Expedition Cure Baldness:”
    Do not use some “cause” to help pay for your vacation, especially if you do not have a direct and completely legitimate personal connection with the cause or organization. This comes across as completely disingenuous and PR and Marketing Directors see right through it (and so does everyone else). If your sponsorship package does not stand on its own merit, adding “save the blue tailed ferret” or “expedition cure the blah, blah, blah” that you know little to nothing about makes you look like a jerk. This doesn’t mean that a trip supporting a cause is not worthwhile at times, but it must be genuine and the organization you are supporting must get a significantly larger benefit than you do. (edit: sorry for the harshness, but this is something that hurts everyone and flies in the face of basic ethics). “

    Check out the rest here, it’s a fun read, and has some important ideas.

    http://bit.ly/gy6sZD

    Reply
  2. Paul Morris avatar
    Paul Morris

    Spot on. Without total committment to your own motives, no amount of charity fund-raising will keep you motivated when things get tough. Although, and expedition that also includes fund-raising may just add an extra reason to see it through.

    Reply

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