Passion

That word has been on my mind for some time now, as I have crossed paths with several people who are passionate about certain causes, some local, some global. They reach out to others, asking them to care about that issue along with them.

There is beauty and challenge in that we do not share the same passions. The beauty is that people are seeking to make a good difference; they are pained by what they see in the world and perhaps pained that no one seems to be doing anything about it, so they start tackling it. They are making a difference. If we all shared that same passion, a whole lot more would be done in that area, but everything else would remain ignored.

The challenge is that, since we do not share the same passions, it can be difficult to find those who share our passion, who have a clue why it is of interest to us, etc. And to further complicate things, there are opposing passions, too. And yet by there being "competing" passions, much more is taken care of on this earth. There are those who go to the extreme on protecting animals while humans suffer. There are those who would promote the welfare of humans and could care less if all animals were wiped out. It's a good thing, then, that there are both passions, I suppose; both humans and animals are getting attention.

Anyway, this notion of passion came up for me today when I read the online snippets of a book. Hopefully you can see the pages and click the triangles that turn the pages here: Where Normal People Don't Feel Normal.

The author has a passion for "those in the margin." That particular passion is one with which my heart resonates. There's a big need out there and he's stepped in to be of help.