Passion

I forgot to grab the key to the house today so I stayed in wrote, called my mom, a few friends and thought about why I like this place so much. It’s raining here! I can hear low thunder rumbling across the mountains and I love it! I’ve been staring at the clouds rolling over the mountain peaks in the distance.

Thoughts arrive in my head randomly. Over time they come together to make sense. This post may seem a little random but it will make more sense over time. I’ve been playing around with some theories over the past few days about what the differences are between the Midwest and the West, Michigan and Utah and Detroit and Salt Lake City. Then I started thinking about themes that have emerged throughout this trip. The lesson that has been reinforced over and over again is that it’s vital to know who you are and what you want in life.

I like Salt Lake City because it has an uncompromising identity. This city knows itself. There is no existential crisis here. There is an air of resilience that makes it seem like this place can survive no matter what occurs. Salt Lake City knows itself and fights to maintain the identity it was built upon. Regardless of what you think of Salt Lake City it is brave enough to be what it is. I respect that.

Last night we went to see Conquest of Everest: The Wildest Dream at the IMAX Theater in the planetarium. George Mallory has always intrigued me. The quest to climb Everest is extraordinary in itself but that isn’t what draws me to his story. What intrigues me about Mallory is his undying passion. In the film they told the story of Mallory’s ascent of a church when he was seven years old and how he found his passion as a young child and never let it go. There is certain knowledge of the self that comes with finding your true passion at a young age. Knowing what you want more than anything else is essential to knowing yourself. Most of us cannot understand what drives a person to risk life and limb to accomplish a feat that is so far beyond the realm of logic and safety, but if you know what your true passion is, you understand Mallory’s quest. The true passion of your life will drive you to extreme lengths, including death. If death is the fate of pursuing your true passion, you die with little regret. I get Mallory’s passion and his seemingly illogical and deadly quest to reach the top of Everest because that is how passionate I feel about writing.

Some people think I am rather odd and they’re right. I don’t fit in. You might even call me an outsider. But I don’t fear difference. Categories and labels don’t comfort me so I’m okay with being odd because I understand why I’m different. I am different because I know my angels and demons, my shortcomings and skills. Since I was a very small child I’ve known my true passion and am willing to risk any and everything to have it. Having this knowledge, this undying passion that will not stand to be suppressed or left behind makes me different because I’ve never had to search for myself or try to figure out what I wanted. If you search throughout history you will find humans from every walk of life desperately seeking out their purpose. Along side those seeking a purpose, you will also find those who are driven from a very young age towards something they love more than any person, place or thing. This doesn’t make anyone better or worse than the next person. It just means those who know what they want walk a different path than those who don’t know what they want. No need to judge or even separate people into categories. It just creates a different way of thinking.

The value of knowing what you want cannot be measured. Getting in touch with your inner spirit, even if it doesn’t fit the categories the world wants to place you in based on your race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, geography, etc (fill in the blank with any limiting label you want) can be scary. However, nothing feels better than standing before the world and saying, “This is who and what I am.” Being brave enough to be yourself and go after the things you want is the way to live life to the fullest. You may face hatred, disappointment and rejection for refusing to be what others want you to be but in time you will find your friends and they will love you through every quirk, ailment, failure or triumph you encounter.

With that said, there is power in knowing what you want and I think everyone should figure out their passions and life them. Some people spend their entire lives living the life society has scripted for them. By the time middle age rolls around they look back on the past with bitterness and anger. Never asking and answering the most fundamental question: “What do I want?” can help lead you to the life of your dreams. If you have never asked that question take the time to do it now. If an answer doesn’t come immediately, consider yourself to be in crisis mode. Before you spend weeks mulling over the new car you want, or wasting brainpower trying to figure out what to wear, search for the answer to the one question that will make your life absolutely wonderful.