Extreme Sports for Charity Fundraising - The Warm-fuzzies

For a long time now I have been considering running for charity; I remember my father doing it when I was young and I thought he was a hero. Working in a bar just about covers my rent and I am still saving to go to university so I always feel bad that I can’t do more charity fundraising. So, recently I felt compelled to use my athletic self to do some good and began searching for charities I could support. As I scrolled through the numerous articles I noticed that a lot of people were raving about extreme sports.

My male pride and ego may have come into play a little here but just running seemed a bit too tame once I began looking into the vast array of fundraising ideas for extreme sports enthusiasts but as I felt the adrenaline rush to my head, I began to feel uncomfortable. Albeit a noble act, is it just me or has charity fundraising become a great excuse to try something new? Should we be doing something selfish when it comes to charitable fund raising and is there a way to be selfless?

Phoebe’s Corner

I remember a series in Friends (The One When Phoebe hates PBS) when Phoebe was determined to prove to Joey that raising money for charity can be selfless but no matter her efforts a selfish result came of it. She allowed a bee to sting her and Joey pointed out that the bee of course died as a result. Phoebe’s last attempt was to pledge 200 dollars but her donation puts Joey on television, which makes her feel good; selfless act ruined. I came across a website that used the Friends example and considered if there really is ever a truly unselfish act, which I read eagerly hoping for some information that would validate my own motivations. The website quoted a 2006 study that focused on anonymous charitable donations and concluded that the giver receives no tangible reward; “…he or she gives away hard-earned money to benefit a total stranger, and he or she cannot expect any thanks, since the donation is anonymous.” But researchers found that the subjects that contributed to charities did receive some benefit: the warm-fuzzies.

Immanuel Kant – Is There a Truly Selfless Act?

So now I was well and truly enthralled by the debate and feeling conflicted about my own motives to raise money. I had fallen into the Google trail and landed upon the philosopher, Immanuel Kant, who raised the question of being selfless. Most of what I read didn’t make any sense to me but I came across an essay on him that said: ‘Whether our “willing” is good does not depend on the end we are trying to achieve, it depends on the motive which drives the person (not a matter of consequences). What matters is the motive behind the willing.’ The essay concluded that selflessness is a necessary condition for considering the morality of an act and that Kant’s conception of morality makes it impossible for anyone to be moral, and as such any act to be selfless. Since it is impossible for humans (as far as we know) to separate reason and feeling, that would be like separating the two vital, interconnected parts of human existence.

So, Why Extreme Sports Charity Fundraising?

I reconsidered my own motivations remembering the day that my father made it to the finish line and how happy he was that he had achieved so much. He stripped off his sweaty t-shirt that had the charities logo on it, I can’t remember which, and waved it in the air proudly. The crowd cheered and my Dad was a hero. So I guess my initial motivation came from my memory of that moment and wanting to be a hero. I have coasted through life not really helping anyone and although I try to impact the world with my writing, raising money for a charity would give me a sense of purpose and importance. I want to do something good and feel good about it. Is that so bad? If the charity gets the money they need and the fundraiser gets the ‘warm-fuzzies’ and a sense of achievement; surely it’s a win win situation?

What do you think? Pop me a tweet @EdwardPhelan1 with any thoughts!