The passions
As human beings developed, the
thrust of our evolutionary process is contained and
activated within our genetic code. Deep in our inheritance,
within all of humankind are the passions that ignite life,
and make us search for who we are. We use the word
'passion' to signify the force
that initiates the
ontogenesis of an internal spark or drive that moves us
upward, hierarchical and vertical in nature, to suceed, to
grow, develop, better oneself etc.
Normally we think of passion as the force of excitement,
fervor, sexual lust, zeal and ardor - but you will notice
from this list below a completely different 'take' on the
classical definition of passion. Out of our emergent levels
of being comes different resources that initiate an upward
process to develop. On the other hand, these same passions
can restrict us, by retaining such a force [or hold on us]
that we are actually immobilized, and are held to the level
of being that the passion itself emerges from.
PASSION AT THE MATERIAL LEVEL IS PRIDE
At the base of us is PRIDE. The force of which makes us
have pride of our families, our country, our race and
culture. This is the force which makes us stand upright,
and own who we are. It is a singular force that is the
passion that we need to do better than what went before us,
but also it can be a force that becomes the shadow that
prevents further growth and movement out of the material
state, it then may keep us in our cultural or family
patterns.
PASSION AT THE VEGETAL IS GREED
As we further develop, we become passionate for
experiencing life. This inherent greed is the force that
allows us to taste all that we can, to be nourished and
sustained by all that life can give us, and more. It is the
force that makes us taste life, and to develop our
sensorial awareness of things. It wakes up the part of us
that allows us to rise above the material state and begin
to really come alive. Of course, it too can overshadow us
and lead us into the seduction of things that nourish and
fatten our lives.
PASSION AT THE ANIMAL IS AMBITION
This rising above and becoming alive takes us into the
arena of being 'top dog'. This is the passion to become
successful and useful in our lives, to find our niche and
talent and to be the best. This makes us work hard, and
selflessly, to work with others, to be gregarious and part
of a 'pack'. This will lead us in to the larger human
community at the level of cooperation and shared ideals
which is a more human process and brings alive the force of
knowledge. When ambition, however, overshadows us, it leads
us into a pattern of too much work, of selfishness,
devil-may--care attitude, and muscling your way to the top.
PASSION AT THE HUMAN IS KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge is a passion that allows us to become who we are.
This force motivates us above the selfish mode into a wider
appreciation of who we are. It makes us see the larger
picture, to co-operate and to acquire knowledge for a more
humane mode of work and life. Knowledge itself becomes the
tool and the equipment to make changes, and to help not
only yourself but humankind too. When persuit of knowledge
becomes a shadow around us, it takes us into our minds away
from the heart of things. It sends us on flights of fancy,
where we may build castles in the sky, or where we may
weave an exotic coat of words or ideas which can entangle
us. Knowledge is so seductive that we can marry it, and it
can become our partner, so that we are wedded to material
ideas.
PASSION AT THE NOBLE LEVEL IS SPIRITUAL
KNOWLEDGE
The passion to rise above the ordinary and to enquire as to
who we are and why we are here is motivated by this innate
force within us. This is the force that makes us go on our
quests, to seek higher knowledge, to find teachers and
gurus to help show the way. The problem is that the human
mind is not a spiritual organ, so the quest for inner
understanding is always limited by our minds. However this
force in us at the least takes us forward into more lofty
goals, and inspires us to find and hear the Call within.
The shadow of this passion is when knowledge of the
spiritual becomes the clothes that one wears, rather than
truly living the life from the inner Self.
Definition:
1. A
powerful emotion, such as love, joy, hatred, or anger. 2a.
Ardent love. b. Strong sexual desire; lust. c. The object
of such love or desire. 3a. Boundless enthusiasm: His
skills as a player don't quite match his passion for the
game. b. The object of such enthusiasm: Soccer is her
passion. 4. An abandoned display of emotion, especially of
anger: He's been known to fly into a passion without
warning. 5. Passion a. The sufferings of Jesus in the
period following the Last Supper and including the
Crucifixion, as related in the New Testament. b. A
narrative, musical setting, or pictorial representation of
Jesus's sufferings. 6. Archaic Martyrdom. 7. Archaic
Passivity.
ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English,
from Old French, from Medieval Latin
passi
, passi
n-, sufferings of Jesus or
a martyr, from Late Latin, physical suffering,
martyrdom, sinful desire, from Latin, an undergoing,
from passus, past participle of pat
, to suffer. See
p
(i)- in Appendix I.
SYNONYMS:
passion, fervor,
fire, zeal, ardor These nouns denote powerful, intense
emotion. Passion is a deep, overwhelming emotion: “There is
not a passion so strongly rooted in the human heart as
envy” (Richard Brinsley Sheridan). The term may signify
sexual desire or anger: “He flew into a violent passion and
abused me mercilessly” (H.G. Wells). Fervor is great warmth
and intensity of feeling: “The union of the mathematician
with the poet, fervor with measure, passion with
correctness, this surely is the ideal” (William James).
Fire is burning passion: “In our youth our hearts were
touched with fire” (Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.). Zeal is
strong, enthusiastic devotion to a cause, ideal, or goal
and tireless diligence in its furtherance: “Laurie
[resolved], with a glow of philanthropic zeal, to found and
endow an institution for … women with artistic tendencies”
(Louisa May Alcott, Little Women 1869.) Ardor is fiery
intensity of feeling: “the furious ardor of my zeal
repressed” (Charles Churchill).See also synonyms at
feeling.