How important is passion?

[poet1b]

In my opinion Passion and Attitude are more important than beauty, intelligence, physical prowess, talent, or peace.

Most of life is about maintaining our passion and approaching things with the right attitude. This is an area that most philosophies ignore, or treat only as a side notion. Peace is great, but passion is better. The key is not to let your passions burn out of control, add more importantly, not to let it die. Our world is a place that runs in cycles, and so does our passions.

Its our passion that drives us through life, and attitude that allows us to take it all on. Our primary goal should be to hang on to our passion, and maintain the proper attitude. Living is Defying Inertia.

All that we do, and all that we make out of our life in this world comes from our passion to make these things happen, and bring our dreams alive.

In the modern world, as more and more people lost their faith in religion, seeking more concrete purposes in life, they found themselves looking out into oblivion. A vast nothingness where all sense of meaning is lost. Everything is temporary, and possibly nothing more than an illusion, or perhaps in a darker view, everything has already been determined, and no matter what we do, we are all consigned to our fate. All trappings of self awareness are only an illusion.

This leads so many to embrace nihilism, that nothing matters, and truth only exists in the moment.

What it most often comes down to in modern pop culture is:
Live fast and die young;
Who ever dies with the most toys wins;
Because nothing matters, because everything in life is temporary and therefore meaningless, and these are the paths so many people find.

My personal philosophy is that doing the right things in life, being inventive and creative, doing for others as well as yourself, in the end, leads us to a richer, fuller life. Maybe fate exists, maybe time will wash over everything that we have ever done or been or thought, but even so, there is no evidence that we can not take advantage of the moments life offers us, or change our fate. Rather than looking out into the eternal nothingness, we can look for closer goals to guide us into the void. Maybe that tower will eventually fall centuries from now, but if we are no longer around to see it, does it matter? That we were able to ascend that tower, and look out over the world from the perspective it offered, and take in that moment, makes that moment ours. Who knows, if higher dimensions exist, and our conscious lives on, these moments that we have lived might turn out to be gold. We've got nothing to lose and everything to gain, by taking advantage of the time life gives to us.

Whether or not you believe in a God, an afterlife, or higher plains of existence, a philosophy of building for a better future stokes our passions, leads us to a more fulfilling way of life, and has far more advantages.

Here is a link to a book I have published online titled "The Pursuit of Common Sense, in which I discuss this concept in greater detail.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006P3MNLU

[duszek]

I wonder if political correctness (or civilized behaviour) do not quench passions.
And if we allow ourselves to express our true passionate feelings (positive or negative) towards other people we will end up at best as eccentrics and at worst as paupers or AAs.

I train myself in wearing a mask because my passions are my private thing which I cannot afford to show to the outside world. They may die in the long run, I don´t know.

[duszek]

A passion is when you want something very much. So much that you suffer if you do not get it. So all your life energy is focused on this thing, be it a piece of chocolate or the throne of Scotland.

Reason should rule over passions.

[chaz wyman]

"Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them.”
― David Hume

[chaz wyman]

A passion is when you want something very much. So much that you suffer if you do not get it. So all your life energy is focused on this thing, be it a piece of chocolate or the throne of Scotland.

Reason should rule over passions.

There would be no reason to get out of bed without the passions.

[doolhoofd]

yes but, passion for what exactly?

not bad for a first post poet1b, and you actually wrote + published a book... wow!

[doolhoofd]

because everything in life is temporary and therefore meaningless

maybe time will wash over everything that we have ever done or been or thought

·• GENERATIONS PASS •·
·• CIVILISATIONS DIE •·
·• THE BLINK OF AN EYE •·
·• IN GALACTIC TIME •·

That would be my signature, if this forum allowed signatures.

[poet1b]

duszek

Thanks for the reply.

I think political correctness does quench our passion, when civil behavior should temper our passions.

To me, it is important to have more than one passion, and we should know when to give up on some passions, and that can be accomplished through developing virtues.

See my response to Chaz on reason.

[poet1b]

Chaz

I see passion as the partner to reason, the left to the right, the yin to the yang, so they are slaves to each other. Passion drives us to reason, and reason guides our passions, but passion steps first.

Passion combined with reason is power, the ability to make things happen in this world, to move forward.

[poet1b]

doolhoofd

Thanks, the book is published online, so it is essentially self published. I had spoken to a few publishers and agents, and had some interest, but chose this route. I edited if for years, and decided to just get it out, and search for some feedback on the concepts. If anyone wants a copy, they can sent me an IM. Here is a link to my blog where I have an intro and a poster of the chapters.
http://poet1b.blogspot.com/

I think you have to search for your passions. The more emotionally mature you become, the deeper the passions you find.

Who knows, in a higher dimension of existence, time is as multi-dimensional as space, and we are able to visit the moments that make up all civilizations, generations, lives that have been lived. Who knows, the moments you create in your life might be your source of wealth in a higher existence.

I had meant to post on the idea that Truth is the only Real Currency by this weekend, but didn't managed to put one together yet, and would also like to take the time to contribute to the threads of others.

See ya all around.

Poet1b

[reasonemotion]

Do you honestly believe you can discipline PASSION, I dont think you have been caught up in its total lack of good sense or reason!

[reasonemotion]

"Having a richer, fuller life in the end" ...... what's the point if it is IN THE END!

[duszek]

My passion for a good breakfast gets me out of bed.

Or is it rather the fear that if I do not do this and this and this and this and get to work on time I will end up like a bum and there will be no bed and no breakfast any more ?

Passions can motivate but also fears.

[The Voice of Time]

A passion is when you want something very much. So much that you suffer if you do not get it. So all your life energy is focused on this thing, be it a piece of chocolate or the throne of Scotland.

Reason should rule over passions.

There would be no reason to get out of bed without the passions.

brilliant But I wonder if you could in some circumstances say that there isn't "passion" that drives you, that is, desire with suffering, but desire alone. Because not all people view their day with suffering even when they are filled with deep desire.

For instance, imagine the kid who loves waking up in the morning to have his/hers favourite breakfast. Even under heavy expectations and excitement this kid does not strictly have to suffer before he or she gets what he or she wants, that is, desire. And this desire can be strong, to the point of sudden huge disappointment and a ruined day if it doesn't get that breakfast.

[chaz wyman]

A passion is when you want something very much. So much that you suffer if you do not get it. So all your life energy is focused on this thing, be it a piece of chocolate or the throne of Scotland.

Reason should rule over passions.

There would be no reason to get out of bed without the passions.

brilliant But I wonder if you could in some circumstances say that there isn't "passion" that drives you, that is, desire with suffering, but desire alone. Because not all people view their day with suffering even when they are filled with deep desire.

For instance, imagine the kid who loves waking up in the morning to have his/hers favourite breakfast. Even under heavy expectations and excitement this kid does not strictly have to suffer before he or she gets what he or she wants, that is, desire. And this desire can be strong, to the point of sudden huge disappointment and a ruined day if it doesn't get that breakfast.

I'm thinking of "the passions", as a wider concept. The passion is the desire to have the breakfast and the disappointment at missing it; the feeling of restlessness you get from inactivity, and the smile on your face at eating.
It it were all about reason, then you would not even bother to eat as there would be nothing to keep you living in the knowledge that you are going to die at some point - so why not now?