Passion

The other day I was teaching words to a student and he asked me what Passion meant?

For a moment I was baffled …I didn’t know how to explain a word and believe you me, it rarely happens. How do you explain passion, a word that has so much emotion attached to it? The intensity cannot be explained. I then told him that it was an abstract noun like love or hate for that matter but it signified more intense feeling. Lust is also a passion for that matter

Passion is one’s ardour or desire for someone. Let’s first deconstruct this myth that in coveting that person we love him or her, instead we tend to objectify that individual and from there stems my dislike for this kind of passion. Having exercised the same when young I realized that it was disastrous; disastrous not only to the relationship but also to one’s own self worth.  Not only does it take away the other person’s freedom and sense of individuality but also it makes you dependent and less ambitious. So this one has to be kept in check, the passion I feel should be directed to the relationship, keeping it alive and interesting and not towards the person.

Passion for things material is still more destructive; it puts you into harness and never lets you relax. The mad fury for money and things it can buy drives you into a pursuit which leaves you burnt out and empty. In order to pursue the ‘good things in life’ or rather the best things in life one first ignores and then forgets the simple pleasures of life. We ignore our parents, friends, spouse and children in this mad rat-race and by the time we realize that it was all futile, its too late. Passion for your work and ambition is natural and appreciable too; but the mad rush and greed is ignoble and avoidable too. I was exposed to this kind of cut-throat competitive world in the B-school. That I was appalled would be putting it too mildly, I was flummoxed , felt out of place and miserable and realized very early on that I would never succeed in the man-eat-man business world.

Another kind of passion is your passion for the finer joys of life, reading, music, meditation, dance, sport, painting, sculpting and much more. This passion can be enjoyed unbridled. It brings you satisfaction and pleasure. It keeps you calm and gives your natural abilities and charm a fillip. Ask a painter how he loves to see his hands covered with paint blotches, a sculptor who loves the aroma of wet mud or a book lover who touches the yellowed pages of an old book with tender love and care. Blessed are those who can find a vocation in their suchlike passions. Their paintings come alive, their sculptures speak and their books are their friends.

I find myself fortunate to be able to direct my passion to my work. It made me consider my life-partner his own individual self with his own pursuits and interests. Also I found satisfaction and pleasure though not too much money in writing, reading and teaching. It gave a certain meaning to my life and I a degree of satisfaction which I am sure I could never have achieved in any other walk of life. Any attempt to deviate still falls flat.  I gained peace and calm and now am heading towards a more spiritual and an easy to live in world.