Ace Ventura Spitting Wisdom
The laces were in! That Ray Finkle, man. Ace Ventura was one of the first adult comedies I ever saw as a kid. I was 13 years old, at a sleepover, and we somehow got our hands on this newly released VHS starring an unknown actor named Jim Carrey. The opening scene with the package delivery remains one of the funniest intros in movie history! Needless to say, this immediately became, and decades later, remains one of my all-time favorite comedies.
I could probably find a way to tie Ace Ventura to Meaning Over Money, but I’ll spare you. Instead, I want to discuss a statement I recently heard from Jim Carrey:
“Imagine struggling with being homeless and someone comes with a camera in your face to give you a meal and you have to take it. Imagine that feeling. Please, stop doing that. If you go to help someone, do it with kindness and not your ego.
In a world with cameras in every pocket, it’s our natural inclination to capture and share everything. But let’s not blame the technology, though. For centuries - long before cell phones and cameras were invented - we humans have operated all areas of our lives with ego. If that’s true, why would our giving be an exception?
I can’t get on social media without some person or organization boasting about a gift they just made for some cause. Have you ever seen a GoFundMe page? Call me weird, but I obsessively watch the donation ticker that announces everyone’s gifts. If you aren’t familiar with the concept, when you make a gift on GoFundMe, it blasts the news of your gift to the main page for all to see, where it boldly displays your name and how much you gave. However, it’s worth noting that when you make a gift, you get to choose if your name is displayed or is classified as “anonymous.” Any guess as to how many people give anonymously? By my numerous tallies, only about 5%-7% of gifts are anonymous.
Here’s a question I’ll challenge you with today. If you make a gift and publicly broadcast said gift, is it likely your motives are pure? I’d argue the answer is “no.” I’ve pondered this a lot in my own giving journey. Several years ago, realizing I am a human, I conceded I’m not immune to this, either. I quickly concluded that I needed to eliminate anything that would taint the spirit of my giving….especially the possibility of earning favor, influence, affirmation, or pats on the back. Therefore, almost all my giving is done quietly and anonymously, so much so that some organizations don’t even know where their gifts are coming from. This shift has been a transformational experience.
Here’s where I want to land this plane (er, errant Ray Finkle field goal attempt). I firmly believe there’s no endeavor in life more meaningful than giving with pure motives. Don’t believe me? There’s only one way to find out!
* After finishing this piece, I feel incomplete and somewhat unsettled. There is more to discuss on this topic than my 500 words will allow, so perhaps treat this one as an appetizer. Have a blessed day!