Passion

In this post, I want to talk about passion. I'm not simply speaking of romantic passion, however, that is not to be excluded, since passion, however manefested, is still passion. I'm addressing anything in life that is approached with that all consuming obsession that motivates, no, drives you on and on.

Examples of those consumed with passion are the athlete who pushes past the pain to achieve that elusive goal, the writer who foregoes food and sleep to flush out and develop that idea, the dancer who continues to perform on feet that are battered, bruised, and even bleeding, the singer for whom it's a matter of having to (needing to) sing anywhere, anytime ...irrespective of success or fame, and the artist who, despite monetary failure, opts to live in poverty so as to continue his creative endeavors. There are those who hunger for knowledge, for no other reason than to expand their minds and broaden their horizons. How fortunate the child who, in youth, develops a passion for learning.

I was speaking to a friend the other day who was complaining about being bored. Boredom is something I honestly can say I've never experienced. With so many exciting things inside me yet to be expressed, who has time to be bored? Anyway, I asked him, "Well what do you want to do, is there anything you're excited about? I felt so terribly sad that his answer was, "No, nothing!"

Being passionate about something, anything -- an idea, an activity, a goal, a cause, a project, a talent, anything -- is for me what "divine fire" is all about. That which makes you impatient to get out of bed in the morning and reluctant to have to stop for rest at night, a preoccupation so consuming, that commonplace activities like eating and sleeping (although necessary) are unwanted interruptions. Working would also fall into this category, if you were not fortunate enough to be working at that very thing about which you're passionate. I guess there are many people who are about "nothing" and simply wait for life to stimulate them. In such a case, I guess one could [easily] get bored.

People who are successful in life -- however they choose to define success -- are probably people who were (are) very passionate in their pursuits. Even if that pursuit were just the desire to be rich. (A passionate desire to be wealthy is not the same thing as not wanting to be poor.) For many people, the simple process of living, maintaining, supporting and being supportive of family (however defined), is all consuming and yet there are those who do this with passionate deliberation, while others merely do what's required to get from one day to the next.

Liz Taylor and Calvin Klein market fragrances under such names as "Passion" and "Obsession", but these names are only suggestive. Would that it were as simple as getting inspiration from a bottle.

It's not for me to critique anyone else's life, mine is hardly a model existence, but if I didn't constantly have within me this passion to express and create, a passion that has guided my every decision for as long as I can remember, I don't know how I would've (could've) survived. For me it's never been about acquisitions, social accomplishments, praise or approval. I suspect this is why I've chosen a life that is unencumbered with many the common trappings of living, those things that would consume all my time and energy and not allow for my passion for personal expression.

Quote of the Week: "A rich person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least."