Passion. What comes to mind when you think of the word "passion"? Well, scarily enough, I decided to browse the Internets to see what online dictionaries had to say about it, and boy oh boy, the first thing that I happened upon (at dictionary.com, if you care to look up their definitions of "passion" yourself) are mostly about sexual desire, lust, or just ardor. Even at another site (freedictionary.com) the first definition to pop up was about sexual desire, basically everything that has already been aforementioned. Feeling resigned at this point, I thought to myself, "Well, maybe the British will get it right?"
So, I went out on a limb in trusting the Brits (although it isn't hard to when they have beautiful men such as Benedict Cumberbatch on their side), and I was rewarded. Their first definition was just a generic definition of strong, uncontrollable emotions. Yet, the third definition caught my eye, as it read, "an intense desire or enthusiasm for something". Jackpot.
I bring this up because I am slightly perturbed with a mindset that I have encountered through PERSONAL experience as of late. Some individuals I have encountered and had conversations with seem to have lost passion. These individuals seem to be
passionately focused on the
rewards or
benefits that a certain career or life decision will give them in the end. That is not passion to me. Passion is that intense desire to go beyond your own wants, needs, and desires. Passion is seeing a flaw or a injustice in the world and desiring intensely to
change whatever said flaw or injustice may be. This passion is without thought of selfish benefits (money-wise, socially, physically) and just about desiring to drive into place the change that desperately needs to happen.
To be honest, right now I am re-evaluating what I thought was my passion for a long time. I am trying to just be honest with myself, and not judge myself as a failure if I find a greater passion in life.
The reason I would judge myself as a failure is because I feel like others have set up expectations for me or my life, and deviating from that path would make me seem...wishy-washy, flaky, or just a flat out failure. That is my own personal problem though, and I need to stop judging myself through other people's minds. Ouch. That was painful to even type.
Now, on a lighter note:
1) Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, BBC): if you want to feel the dictionary.com definition of passion, I will give you a picture in order for you all to do so. (Image from: http://www.metro.co.uk/tv/856136-benedict-cumberbatch-frankenstein-is-about-bad-parenting)
2) Bradley James & Colin Morgan (Merlin, BBC): Also to inspire that dictionary.com passion within everyone's bosom. (Images from: http://fyeahbradleyjames.tumblr.com and http://atrl.net)
