No. 10
"The dislocation involved in switching from one passion to another--even its very opposite--is less than one wold expect. There is a basic similarity in the make-up of all passionate minds. The sinner who turns saint undergoes no more dramatic transformation than the lecher who turns miser."
-- Eric Hoffer --
from The Passionate State of Mind
Essentially it seems that people who are passionate about something are much the same, be it sports, politics, religion, music, wine, or anything you can think of. It's only the object that is significantly different, not the emotion or intensity, for they are quite similar. Is a fight between the supporters of two athletic teams any different really than a fight between supporters of two political philosophies or two religions?
Or at least that's what it seems to me he's saying.
Interesting. I have to think more about this.
ReplyDeleteWhat are you passionate about?
Di,
Deletebooks, music, mountains
And you?
Literature, cinema, photography. Does food count? Hahaha.
DeleteI used to draw, but stopped a long time ago.
Di,
DeleteI also was thinking about adding food but decided against it, for some inexplicable reason.
Fred, I would have to rear more Hoffer to respond sensibly. However, I am always wary of excessive passions about anything. And I think the passions of the reformed/converted are some of the most disconcerting. I wish I were a more objective person who could avoid subjective reactions and passionate over-reactions. But, alas, I am too human too many times. In any case, I do need to read Hoffer.
ReplyDeleteR. T.,
DeleteI was raised Catholic, and one common observation about converts was that they were more Catholic than the pope.
If you haven't read it already, I would strongly recommend his _The True Believer_. It's especially relevant today.
And, I think a little enthusiasm about something helps keep us alive.
Fred,
DeleteI agree that a little enthusiasm keeps us alive. And when something is new to us that awakens our passion, people do tend to dive in head first and become very passionate about it. However, that usually subsides to a more normal level of enthusiasm with time.
Do you think people can live without being passionate about anything whatsoever?
DeleteNot being passionate about anything whatsoever? They can live, but maybe not thrive - just exist. Isn't that symptom of depression, too?
DeleteDi and Cheryl,
DeleteI agree. Life without some passion strikes me as being flat and tedious. Was it Cicero who said that a home without books is like a body without a soul--I would generalize that to a person without some passion, some enthusiasm for something, has an empty soul.
I know a man who doesn't read books, doesn't watch films, doesn't listen to music, doesn't travel, doesn't paint, doesn't take pictures, doesn't go to the museums, doesn't like shopping, doesn't like nature, doesn't go to parties, doesn't play sports... and, from what I see, doesn't seem to enjoy eating, drinking, sleeping either. He does take care of some dogs, but that's not a passion. The only thing he cares about is work, but he's having some difficulty now and it looks like he thinks a lot about work not because he feels passionate about it, but because he's determined to regain what he has lost (used to be quite well-to-do, I think).
DeleteAnd I know some other people (almost) like that too.
About the last point, Fred, I agree. But I think I generally prefer people who do like some form of art (especially literature, and I mean art, not entertainment) to those who only have passion for something else. Those who don't care about any kind of art at all are not necessarily empty, but they are..., I don't know, dull? Limited? Inflexible?
Di,
DeleteWell, at least he has something that propels him forward. I find it hard to communicate with people who lack an interest in books, music, film, etc.
Perhaps it's because we lack a common language.
True. So what would you talk about then?
DeleteDi,
DeleteI remember that at one job, I made sure to read the sports page so as to have something to talk about with fellow workers. Politics is always good too, if one is careful..
Right. The only sport I like to talk about is football (soccer for you), but if somebody likes Netherlands, well...
DeleteThere are also some people that have an addictive personality (easily get addicted to things). I have a friend who told me she's like that. I've seen her go from being overly passionate about partying and drinking, to becoming overly passionate about exercising and eating healthy. She recognizes this tendency, and she takes a medication to help her stay more on an even keel.
ReplyDeleteSounds a bit like me. I've gone from hating Jane Austen with a passion to admiring her so much to the point of defending her, especially Mansfield Park, whenever someone attacks.
DeleteAnd once I thought I was converted to a K-pop fan, but that lasted about 2 weeks.
Generally, after reading a great book that I like a lot, I tend not to stop there and move onto someone else's work but find other works by the same author or at least read about him/her, but I try to keep the balance now and guess it's probably healthy, and normal.
Cheryl,
DeleteHoffer makes the point that enthusiasm or passion, the emotion itself. is much the same, regardless of its object:The friend who loved partying and drinking is now passionate about the opposite--a healthy diet and exercise.
Di,
DeleteI went from not being able to finish a novel by Austen to one who now rereads all of her works regularly. I remember that after I read Dostoyevsky's _Crime and Punishment_ I immediately went out and got as many of his books as I could find and eventually read everything he's written that's been translated into English. And now I regularly reread his works also.
I haven't changed a bit. I saw a TV adaptation of Powell's _A Dance to the Music of Time_, got the first novel, and now have all twelve novels that comprise the set. I've read the first three and will begin on the fourth before the year's end. I find an author I like, and I have to read everything by that author. I don't have a TBR shelf--I have a TBRM (To Be Read Mountain)
Haha, I like that: To Be Read Mountain.
DeleteToday is Jane Austen's birthday, by the way.
Indeed . . .
Deletehttp://beyondeastrod.blogspot.com/2014/12/16-december-happy-birthday-jane-austen.html
Di,
DeleteYes, R. T. has a post about that in his blog, Beyond Eastrod.
Nice.
DeleteCheryl,
ReplyDeleteYes, a discovery of something new can create considerable enthusiasm and will usual be reduced to a more normal level for most people. But, there are those who seem never to lose that first intense feelings.