Think Then Do and Beware the Perils of Passion

A friend from high school visited me recently and the inevitable walk down memory lane recapped the last 20 years, catching up on family, travels, employment and other pertinent facts of life. While contemplating choices made throughout the course of our lives, my old friend asked, “How do you ever really know if you’re making the right decisions?”.

My reply at the moment was to say that no one knows for sure. You just try and hope for the best. I think a better answer would have been that there is often more than one right answer depending on timing and other situational factors and whether the decision was based on passion versus reason.

My decision to become an accountant was based on reason. I was more passionate about other interests, but I had little exposure to those vocational options. Financial and geographic circumstances posed limitations that further reinforced the rational choice of a career in accounting. Variations in timing and conditions could have made pursuing the path of passion a more viable alternative but, given the circumstances in play, the reasonable choice was the right choice.

Decisions based on passion can also be the right choices but beware of the potential magnitude of the impact of such decisions. The intensity of passion can range from mild to extreme and can lead to exciting adventures, fulfilling careers, the birth of invention and the inspiration for greatness. Independence, civil rights, and suffrage were all noble movements fueled by people passionate for a cause.

Extreme passion can also have extreme consequences that are not always positive. The catalyst of war and devastation of civilizations can often be linked to passion not tempered by reason and compassion, leading to destructive consequences.

We all experience passion for something, an object, a person, an ideology. You can see passion in action in social media posts, evening news stories and personal interactions among families, neighbors and coworkers.

As I bear witness to more and more accounts of extreme behavior, radical beliefs, the swiftness with which we turn to anger and violence, it frightens me. I’m worried for humanity.

I am not immune to this trend either. On those occasions when passion compels me to act first on emotion without applying the reason and rationality that the situation deserves, I worry for my own humanity.

Balancing your motivational forces with rational reflection of the circumstances of the situation is a difficult skill to exercise in the heat of the moment. I don’t expect myself or anyone else to master this skill completely, but I do believe that it’s worth the effort to keep trying.

By definition passion is a strong and emotional force. Such acute desire and conviction can be personally fortuitous or conversely lead to pain, suffering and the unfolding of societal atrocities.

Be cautious with your passions and consider the consequences of your actions for yourself and for those around you. Be careful that your passion doesn’t turn into a dangerous obsession.

Understanding the gravity of the potential consequences is crucial to making wise decisions. Balancing emotion with reason is an astute approach to protecting your own right to the pursuit of happiness without treading on the rights of others.

When encountering the challenges of life remember that there is usually more than one right answer, so take a moment, consider the options. Think before you do and remember … in the course of following your convictions, beware the perils of passion.