Passion: what is it and where do we find it? Simply put: it is an intense emotion that compels us in an exciting direction towards personal discovery and fulfillment. It is an energy, however, that must be individually stimulated and encouraged. But, it cannot be thrust upon a person. Herein lies the problem. As educators, employers and parents, how to we expose young people to the opportunities that “being passionate about something” present? Recently, we read an article entitled “Eight Ways to Discover Your Passion and Live a Life that You Love,” “It is terrifying when you feel like your life has no purpose or direction, but finding your passion can change all that. Finding your passion is like finding your personal road map. When you know what your passion is, you feel motivated, inspired and so much clearer about what your next step should be.” (1) The piece goes on to give us a selection of ways to discover the uniqueness that exists in each of us and hence our personal passion: thoughtful.
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The adventurers
Have you ever noticed that it is often the ones closest to us who attempt to limit who we want to become or dismiss what we attempt to achieve: why you may ask? The simple answer is fear. Though they truly love us, they are apprehensive to allow us to take a chance because they are afraid to take a gamble on themselves. To be fair if everyone were to be an adventurer, who would be at home tending to the animals and stoking the hearth? That said it is important for others to understand our apparent fearlessness. We too cannot truly comprehend this conservative approach to life.
The adventurers
Have you ever noticed that it is often the ones closest to us who attempt to limit who we want to become or dismiss what we attempt to achieve. Why you may ask? The simple answer is fear. Though they truly love us, they are apprehensive to allow us to take a chance because they are afraid to take a gamble on themselves. To be fair if everyone were to be an adventurer, who would be at home tending to the animals and stoking the hearth? That said it is important for others to understand our apparent fearlessness. We too cannot truly comprehend this conservative approach to life.
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Our personal temple
The body is our private sanctuary, is it not? That said, over the decades, there seems to be a remarkable explosion of tattoos littering the corporeal landscape. The ones I greatly enjoy are those to be seen in the most frigid of weather. Their display only amplified by the dearth of clothing which should be covering an exposed piece of flesh. Why do we deem it necessary to mutilate our temple – our own piece of God’s gift of life? This is because we are subject to an overabundance of displays and ideas. This makes us devoid of personal distinctiveness. We are thus desperate to find an image to confirm that we are sui generis, we are unique. I matter in this universe; hence I reward myself with an artificial sense of specialness. The superstars and the celebrities do it — they are iconic and unforgettable — so why shouldn’t I join their ranks? Sadly, as we all know, this is a zero-sum game. (1). There is no win with a false sense of individuality.
Our personal temple
The body is our private sanctuary, is it not? That said, over the decades, there seems to be a remarkable explosion of tattoos littering the corporeal landscape. The ones I greatly enjoy are those to be seen in the most frigid of weather. Their display only amplified by the dearth of clothing which should be covering an exposed piece of flesh. Why do we deem it necessary to mutilate our temple – our own piece of God’s gift of life? This is because we are subject to an overabundance of displays and ideas. This makes us devoid of personal distinctiveness. We are thus desperate to find an image to confirm that we are sui generis, we are unique. I matter in this universe; hence I reward myself with an artificial sense of specialness. The superstars and the celebrities do it — they are iconic and unforgettable — so why shouldn’t I join their ranks? Sadly, as we all know, this is a zero-sum game. (1). There is no win with a false sense of individuality.
Continue reading Our personal temple
The great gift of age
One of the great advantages of agedness is experience. For some, this is a poisoned chalice filled with bitterness and self-recrimination. For others, it is the time to marshal one’s powers of observation and insightfulness and use these occurrences to share with others. In this way, you, potentially, assist in their own development. I would place myself in the latter camp. I have, fortunately, or unfortunately, encountered more joy and, conversely, more pain, than I ever expected would come my way in life. I was duly tested on more than one occasion. And, I contend that my life is by no means unique. All of us are scrutinized in this existence. The question is to be examined on what? We are appraised as to whether we have found our real mission in life. As Dr. Frankl tells us, to paraphrase, if you have a reason to live, you can endure any hardship. If we are at a loss, how do we find our real purpose? How do we uncover the real “calling” that we read so much about?
My piece of peace
Peace: who does not want this emotion to wash over them? But, as we all know and understand, only I can give myself peace. Many of our confreres who walk the streets in North America and Europe confounded by homelessness, drug abuse, and suicidal thoughts fail to adequately accept that the self is in control — barring mental illness. To gain this authority, however, is not an easy task. It comes with a very sobering thought; the acceptance of the humility or the incredulity that you are in total command of where you are and where you will end up — excluding the unfortunate circumstances of life.
The storm of life
My observation is that many people feel tossed about, like sailors on a small yacht, caught in some violent tempest. This life hurricane exists from the time we gain consciousness to the moment we are expunged. It is a seemingly uncontrollable state, producing pure panic and naked terror – and its attendant poor long-term decisions. The world-wide divorce rate continues to increase, for example. (1) Fortunately, this does have to be one’s life. In existence, confusion is normal, but totally controllable. The conundrum that all thinking beings confront is an understandable part of being alive. “Who am I and why am I here?” is an age-old question that can only be answered by the individual. What is required, however, is the desire to leave the squall and bring our vessel to a peaceful bay. This is much, much easier to say than to actually accomplish. How does one begin?
The necessity of nature
Increasingly, the majority of mankind lives in some form of urban environment: at present, over half of the world’s population lives in cities. (1) Most of Earth’s metropolises, unfortunately, do not adumbrate the idyllic environments of a London or a Zurich. They are fetid coagulations of a swirling mass of humanity – think Lagos Nigeria, or Dhaka Bangladesh, to name but a few. In all of this, nonetheless — though our cities are constructed of glass, steel, and concrete – one sees nature resplendent. We notice a tree here, a shrub there, and hence, at a further distance, a fountain tumbling into a small pond with swimming fish. Most people do not want to be overly distant from nature herself.
The immediacy of life
Traveling on a scooter or on a bicycle, for that matter, is a terrifying prospect. You quickly realize how delicate life is. Unless one is meandering down a quiet country lane, the individual is exposed to danger and death on a constant basis. One error on the part of the approaching traffic holds the end of your mortal life. The other evening, for example, a motorcyclist crossed over onto my side – perhaps they had only momentarily glanced down at their phone. More and more people have the phone built into the car’s dash or console or placed between the handlebars. This is extremely distracting. It requires but a lingering second to have irrevocable consequences.