Monday, August 13, 2012

About Passion

One of the most difficult questions for me to answer has to be - "What are you passionate about?". I start thinking about my life from the beginning, things I enjoyed doing, things I overdid at times, got bored and moved on. But there has not been a single thing I can do anytime and anyhow. Many people have some passion in life, and at times more than one. People are passionate about adventurous activities, music, painting, riding, photography, travelling and hundred other things.

But don't these passions restrict you? Say if you are passionate about one thing, then in your free time you will prefer to do only that thing. You may not even explore other things. Your concentration will be solely on the ride, or photography. You may not randomly take a halt at the place and for a change not click any pictures, but capture the feel in your mind. It may be a totally non-photographic location, but you may miss out on its beauty as you were looking for one all along. But well, photography makes you happy thus it may not be a loss to you.

Anyway this passion thing is beyond me. I fail to understand how someone can do the same thing again and again. And when I read about passion, I think others think that I am foolish not to have one. Like this quote by E. M. Forster that says. "One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested." And Hugh Hefner said, "I didn't want to repeat my parents' life. I saw in their lives a routine and a lack of dreaming, a lack of the possibilities, a lack of passion. And I didn't want to live without passion."

I somehow do not believe that you have no life if you do not have any passion. Lack of it gives you more opportunities to try out other things more frequently. Or so I think. I love travelling as much as I enjoy photography. But I forget to click when I see a breathtaking location. At times we decide to go for a drive to a far away destination, but end up spending time at a dhaaba and come back. We decide to go for treks and river rafting but we end up spending our time elsewhere. And these experiences are usually more memorable.

In a way if you see, I am passionate about randomness. Or maybe passion and random are oxymoron. Who cares so far as it keeps me going. And when you are blessed with like-minded people, these things become ten times more enjoyable. Lack of passion becomes a blessing. We make a plan and leave within hours. And that plan is not only about our passion. It can be something as silly as a house party or some drive on ghats during monsoon. There are days I spend working without any holiday, and there are hours I spend reading books. And some days I spend doing nothing. I have tried my hands at painting, music - singing as well as playing instruments, dancing, acting in plays, writing scripts and what not. And I am grateful that I never found a passion, or I may not have known so many things.

Whoever said that people who lack passion don't have a life. I bet these scholars would have been sober when they wrote these quotes.

14 comments:

  1. Hmm you know there are 2 things. One is experiencing and the other sharing. What you experience is that you keep it to yourself. What you want to share with others is what you photograph :) All one need is an eye to experience the beauty even in chaos, in ugliness.

    And yeah you lose some you gain some :) And there is greater joy in doing the without plans

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  2. I am passionate about many things but mostly writing. I was passionate about painting once. For me its a matter of time...being a mom, taking the time out from all my daily duties to indulge in my passion. One day you will discover your passion. Sometimes it takes a bit longer to discover what you like.

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  3. So you are passionate about "not being passionate"

    Cool! :)

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  4. We feel different about many things in life.And we don't have to agree with anything what someone has said.That is what they felt,thats all.
    There are people who struggle to live. What passions do they have? Passionate about being hungry?

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  5. Passion is something you just can't ignore. It just shows up. Most people fail to recognize what they are passionate about and end up being in the wrong places and wrong phases of their life, get stuck in there.

    very well written and nicely judged :) have a look at this one too whenever you get time :)

    http://saurabhchawla2345.blogspot.in/

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  6. From the sound of it, you look like a person who has a passion for living. You do all that you enjoy, how can you say you do not have a passion? :) I believe it depends on how you define it. Just because you are passionate about one thing, doesn't mean you are missing out on the other things in life, does it? :)

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  7. Nice write up Neha. I agree with you, sometimes passion is unduly overrated. It is just about doing things which we love and keep doing them only cos we do things. Sometimes words tend to play a spoilsport. Probably it is better many a time not to define anything with words and jus do the things cos we feel like (Quoting a lil of Forrest Gump)

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  8. Everyone is passionate about some thing or the other.I think,it is for that moment.Or else,why wouldnt you click a picture when you see breathtaking location?

    Passion is like ECG...it is of/ for that moment.
    Next could be some thing else instead of photography.

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  9. Amazing! You have me a reason to go heads up when ppl ask what is ur passion and i look puzzled..! Very innovative way of looking at this...Cheers!!!

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  10. Neha,

    It is good to have passion for a thing or two but not be crazy about it to miss out on other activities.

    Take care

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  11. There is a quote " When you set yourself on fire, people love to come and see you burn.” and I am still in search of that fire on which I would set myself. Passion is not by birth its by choice. Why to follow one way when we can follow thousand.

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  12. Well, it depends on individual how they perceive life. Two different people can be equally good at same thing but not necessarily both are passionate about the same.

    I'm not passionate about anything in particular but at time I do think that there is nothing wrong in being passionate. Also it doesn't necessarily means that you miss out on other things.

    Nevertheless, nice work.. :) :)

    Cheers!!

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  13. Exactly what I used think about this whole passion thing. Freshman in college, no idea what I want to do and over that tons of other distractions. And then one day my dad told me " Everything you do has passion involved. You might not feel it in you but its there." I don't know how much you and your readers would agree but that certainly kind of works for me. Nice piece anyhow. :)

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