In Defense of Passion
Published on
A love letter about passion, and the joy of speaking and living with wholehearted intensity.
Perhaps I’m still reeling from last night’s dinner with Rachael and the passionate conversations we had about the things we surprisingly seem to have in common.
However, it wasn’t until this morning, after I went off tangent, when someone asked me about the book I’m currently reading and what I think about it, that I realised something about myself.
Yes, I am a yapper. But if you know me well, you probably also know that I am quiet and one of the few times my yapper side rears its head is when you ask me about something that truly tickles my fancy. And so, this morning, I realised that I am a passionate person and I love passionate people.
I love people who are animated by something, anything, with conviction. I love when people tell me things I genuinely wouldn’t give a cent’s care about, but they say it with such luminous enthusiasm and breathless delight that you can’t help but be infected by it.
When you look at motivational, religious, or even controversial political leaders, I do not think their success can be attributed solely to their eloquence, but rather to their passion, fervor, and urgency, which they convey every time they address an audience. Misguided or not, you can feel that, in that moment, this person is utterly cathartic about what they believe in.
And I think that is one of the most breathtaking things anyone can witness. The oftentimes rare, intimate moment when someone shares what sets them on fire. When they go so deep that the world seems to stop, and it’s just them and their passion. It’s beautiful.
Despite disappointment, exhaustion, heartbreak, and monotony, I hope people continue to find something to be passionate about. People. Food. Clothes. Careers. Even the minuscule things like measuring the temperature in their house, mixing perfumes, playing video games, finding the right setting for the dishwasher, or the washing machine.
I hope they protect it from cynicism and neglect. I hope they allow themselves to care deeply, even at the risk of seeming excessive.
And so this morning, I realised… I love it when I meet people who speak until the invisible embers cool about the things they are passionate about. And I am glad to be one of those people.
…and I also beseech you to show more passion, more energy!
@gorillatime00 ♬ original sound - MORE ENERGY 😎