Passion or Fanaticism?
I’m an amateur musician, with the emphasis on amateur. Over 50 years ago, I taught myself to play the guitar, learning the chords and a couple of “picking” methods, and thereafter learned to play the penny whistle, or tin whistle, after taking lessons from a real musician so I could play Irish music.
I never really mastered either instrument (and I’m not just being modest) and have often wondered what it would be like to have done so. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to play the guitar like Chet Atkins or Cat Stevens? Or play the penny whistle like Paddy Moloney?
Symphony orchestras and country bands are full of accomplished musicians. The NFL, MLB and NBA are full of skilled athletes. Many mechanics and tradesmen have mastered their trades. Many scientists and teachers have acquired an expertise in their subjects and are able to help others do the same. All these people are not only skilled but passionate about what they do.
Endure Tedium
Writes David Brooks in a recent New York Times article: “All around us there are people who endure tedium to learn the violin, who repeatedly fall off stair railings learning to skateboard, who go through the arduous mental labor required to solve a scientific problem, who agree to take a job managing other people (which is truly hard) or who start a business (which is insanely hard).
“We sometimes think humans operate by a hedonic or utilitarian logic,” Brooks continues. “We seek out pleasure and avoid pain. We seek activities with low costs and high rewards. Effort is hard, so we try to reduce the amount of effort we have to put into things — including, often enough, the effort of thinking things through.
“And I think we do operate by that kind of logic a lot of the time — just not when it comes to the most important things in our lives. When it comes to the things we really care about — vocation, family, identity, whatever gives our lives purpose — we are operating by a different logic, which is the logic of passionate desire and often painful effort.”
Unwilling to Put in the Time
I never became an accomplished guitarist or whistle player not only because I didn’t have sufficient talent but also because I wasn’t willing to put in the effort and time required. In other words, although through the years I entertained myself through my music, I never became passionate.
This, I believe, is what is required – but not often pursued or attained – by religious faith. The Shema shows the way. It’s the quote from the Book of Deuteronomy that ancient Jews, and some modern ones, believe is so important that they place it in a small box attached to their foreheads.
“Hear, O Israel … You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Jesus added something from the Book of Leviticus that became a byword for his mission, “…and love your neighbor as yourself.” That’s passion!
I think that’s the meaning of Jesus’ disturbing quote from the Gospel of Luke: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”
Based on what we know about Jesus from the rest of the Christian Bible, he’s not advocating hate but total commitment. He wants his disciples to become passionate about him and his mission.
Passion or Fanaticism?
Many people, I believe, equate passion with fanaticism. But I like a quote I found on LinkedIn from the famous former Uruguayan President Pepe Mujica, who is said to have donated around 90 percent of his $12,000 monthly presidential salary to charities that benefit poor people and small entrepreneurs.
“…We have a responsibility to lead by example and inspire constructive passion in our work, relationships, and communities. Passionate people drive change, innovate, and inspire others, while fanatics often hold back progress with egocentric beliefs and actions. …Passion becomes a problem only when we lose the ability to listen to others’ opinions, learn, and respect differences.”
I prefer to think of the Shema and Jesus’ words as invitations rather than commands. You can’t command someone to fall in love and that, after all, is what is involved. Faith also requires commitment, which may happen over an extended period. But that can’t happen until you decide to make a start.
