People want to lead passionate lives, like in a romance
novel or a television series. Why is it that so many
people's lives are so overburdened with activities?
Is that passionate living? Cramming as many different
activities into a day as possible? Making long hours
at work and still going out (and of course spending
quality time with the children)?
At the beginning of March 2001, the IKON started the
Passion project. This was all about the passion of great
historical figures, and about contemporary passion.
It is giving me as its spiritual father and administrator
surprising contacts and insights.
Take for instance the contributions by Animal Freedom.
Their articles and their web site show that animal rights
are placed inside a larger framework than just the superficial
notion that keeping animals in small cages is sad. The
use of animals in a society of people who are busy,
busy, busy, cannot but lead to abuse.
The abuse will not disappear with larger cages or inoculations.
Animals will only lead better lives when people start
thinking about themselves differently. Or more concretely:
when people take a closer look at the question: what
is my passion really, my passion in this life. And is
it pure or false?
All of the great figures in this project have experienced
themselves the two definitions of Passion. Passion and suffering.
They have started something with a certain degree of passion.
They gave it their all.
They had the inner conviction that they were working on their life's destination.
A calling.
They also all noticed that it is hard to share such
a strong inner conviction with others. At first there
was enthusiasm, and there were supporters. Later there
was resistance. Supporters were no longer able to follow.
Passion became isolation. Giving their all became agony.
But the great figures in this project stayed in contact
with their passion to the end, sometimes in great doubt,
but convinced that this was what they were supposed
to do with their lives.
So how about those passionate busy, busy, busy people?
It's obvious that they are having a hard time. Work,
the boss, the home situation, they all require time
and attention. Guilt, irritation and isolation are often
the consequence.
Suffering.
But can you call this type of suffering passion? Isn't
this type of suffering really a consequence of losing
contact with the original passion? Are these busy, busy,
busy people still in contact with their original "I'll
give it my all" feeling?
The great figures in this project haven't all been equally
successful. Those who didn't go about achieving their
goals the right way had to pay with their lives prematurely.
They encountered death in various meanings of the word:
they were burned alive, they murdered their loved one
or they came to a dead-end street. The ones who were
successful, are characterized by a combination of apparently
contradictory properties. They were convinced of themselves,
but they were also in the service of others, and humble.
They trusted themselves and others as well, a higher
force or a higher purpose. They had integrated their
opposites, had overcome antitheses and had an eye for
what others need.
How can people in our time come into contact with this
honest passion? The passion that leads to consistent
and true insights, thinking, speaking, acting, livelihood,
exertion, attention and concentration.
We will probably only be able to contact it when we
try to gain balance within ourselves and with each other.
When we try to show ourselves, to share each other's
vision and hopefully to enjoy each other's passion. Age Kramer (Dutch television: IKON) and Bert Stoop (Animal Freedom Foundation).
