Jefferson 1 Thomas Jefferson Ms. Baulch

Jefferson 1

Thomas Jefferson
Ms. Baulch
English III
12 March 2012

The Engine of Life
I stared my opponent in the face, waiting for the center judge to call “begin” to start the
last round. “Begin!” he shouted. I was across the ring in a second, and my right foot flashed for
my opponent's head, landing exactly where I had intended. “Break!” the judge called. I took a
step back and satisfactorily watched the disappointment flash across my opponent's face. I had
scored the last two points needed. The sparring match was over, and I had emerged the victor. I
basked in the euphoria spawned from my passion for Taekwondo. You see, in my life, I am
passionate about many things: Taekwondo, paintball, school, and my girlfriend. I excel in the
areas I am impassioned for, Taekwondo being a shining example. I am a first degree black belt
and a paid instructor with my own class. That is what passion does. It's the driving force in an
individual's life, but this driving force may not always be positive. Many times individuals have
been led astray by their passions. Often, our passions can impair our logic. For this reason, we
must healthily restrain our passion, so as not to let our reason be clouded, but as human beings
we also must realize that our passions are representations of our innermost desires that can
either produce positive or negative outcomes. We do not want to snuff out our passions, but
simply watch over them so they do not become overpowering.
Passion is most often defined as “an intense desire or enthusiasm for something”
(“Passion,” Oxford Dictionary of English, Def. 1c). This is the most basic element of passion.
Whether you are talking about a passion for another human being, an ideal, a sexual passion,

Jefferson 2

the passion of the Christ, it all leads back to this fundamental definition. Let's explore these
different pathways. When discussing passion, there are two main types that fall underneath the
broad definition: a passion for an ideal, sport, cause, religion, or human being, and a type of
passion that is explicitly sexual. The first type of passion is very general. It almost fully
encompasses the broad definition, but obviously leaves out the sexual passion. You feel
passionate about the things you love, and the things you love you quite often succeed in.
Passion drives people to succeed. Some of the most successful people are passionate about
what they do. The second definition of passion, the sexual kind, is much more specific, but
doesn't necessarily fall under the second definition’s meaning. The Oxford Dictionary of
English specifically defines it as “intense sexual love” (“Passion,” def. 1b). This intense sexual
love is very closely related to the love or passion of another in general, though. When you love
a person, you are passionate about him or her in most cases, and the only exception could be
that with age passion turns into companionship. This passion is almost necessary in a
relationship. Passions in general are necessary. If you have no driving force in your life, than
you have no motivation, and with no motivation it is very hard to succeed.

The synonyms of a word can also breathe light into its meaning, and the synonyms of
passion correlate with its definitions. The Oxford Paperback Thesaurus compares passion to
“fervor, ardor, enthusiasm, eagerness, zeal, zealousness, vigor, fire, fieriness, energy, fervency,
animation, spirit, spiritedness, [and] fanaticism” (“Passion,” def. 1). Almost all of these
synonyms seem to bring a more positive connotation to passion. They all relate to the first
broad definition of passion, but the last word in this thesaurus definition is interesting:
fanaticism. This says that passion can lead to fanaticism, obsessiveness, or something along
these lines, which brings up a very interesting point. Passion is not always a good thing. It can

Jefferson 3

be bad, but what decides which passions are bad? That is a question for later. The second broad
definition of passion (a sexual one) is also explored in The Oxford Paperback Thesaurus. It
says that passion is also “love, (sexual) desire, lust, ardor, infatuation, lasciviousness,
lustfulness” (“Passion,” Def. 3). It's interesting that passion is compared to lust, which almost
seems to be a purely sexual word, and a sexual passion almost seems to encompass both love
and sex. It also compares passion to infatuation, which implies that the passion is a false kind
of love, a kind of obsessiveness, and again, this tells us that passion is not always a good thing.
It can be negative. These two definitions and lists of synonyms closely relate to each other as
well. The passion you feel for an ideal or a cause and the sexual passion you feel for another
are linked. As the broad definition said, passion is “an intense desire or enthusiasm for
something” (Oxford Dictionary of English. “Passion,” Def. 1c).

Viewpoints on these different definitions of passion are a bit subjective. I think that
most of the time people think of passion in a positive light. People generally think that your
passions give fuel to your life, but not everybody is in agreement with this view. The New King
James Version of the Bible says “put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication,
uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness…Because of these things the wrath of God
is coming upon the sons of disobedience” (Colossians 3.5). It says that because of passion, God
is going to punish us. One must wonder what type of passion this is referring to, though. The
bible is most likely discussing the sexual passion. It places the word passion in a list with
“fornication”, but it is also worth mentioning that the bible could be referring to passions that
do not have sexual connotations. They could be passions that might take one’s focus away from
God. I feel like certain Christians frown upon anything that isn’t religious and might take away
from God. For example, most denominations would think that it would be a sin to go play golf

Jefferson 4

(if this was your passion) instead of going to church on Sunday morning. I agree with
Christians on this. If you believe in God, you should place him above everything else, and if
passion and lust are true sins, you should remove them from your life. However, the
fundamental understanding many Christians have of the way the world works is flawed.
Human beings feel sexual passion for one another because it is biologically beneficial. To feel a
sexual passion for another leads to reproduction, and reproduction leads to the propagation of
your species. It’s one of nature’s tricks, not an evil facet of human nature. Man’s passions
cannot be helped. These passions are a part of what we are inside, coming from our genetic
makeup. Passion is a tool used by nature to make us succeed, but this passion cannot be
unbridled, it must be contained so we can make logical decisions. Am I saying that the bible
views all passions as sins? Not necessarily. All I am stating is that the Bible views sexual
passion and passions that take precedent before God as sins, but the view the Bible holds is
incorrect.

The sexual kind of passion is not always looked at as a sin, though, especially in our
modern society. The bible clearly views sexual passion, or lust, as a sin. There is no question
about it. Does everybody view this as a bad thing, though? I don't think that's the case. In the
song Hysteria, Def Leppard says, “I gotta know tonight / If you're alone tonight / Can't stop this
feelin' / Can't stop this fire.” It's implied through the lines, “I gotta know tonight / If you're
alone tonight,” that this is a sexual passion. The song goes on further to describe this passion as
“such a magical mysteria / When you get a feelin' / better start believin’.” Whether the author is
referring to love or a sexual passion, it is certainly looked at positively, but let's look at love
and a sexual passion together. Often times these two are intertwined with one another. I believe
that in this song that is the case. The author feels both a sexual passion and a love for his

Jefferson 5

partner. He doesn't see it as a sin, but instead as a wonderful feeling he gets. The passion he has
for her brings out a multitude of feelings. Again, the bible is incorrect in stating that passion is
a terrible sin. It is a feeling that you can't help, and it's completely natural.

Passion felt for another human being is not always a sexual passion. Passion, or love,
for another human being, closely relates to the definition of passion that deals with a cause or
an ideal. In Dorothy Parker’s poem “The Passionate Freudian to His Love,” the narrator wants
nothing more but to spend his life alone with his significant other. He says, “Only name the day,
and we'll fly away / In the face of old traditions, / To a sheltered spot, by the world forgot, /
Where we'll park our inhibitions.” The narrator never comes out directly to say that he is in
love with his significant other, but it is obviously implied by lines such as “While the pale
moon gleams, we will dream sweet dreams” and “With your hand in mine, idly we'll recline.”
There is never any sexual passion discussed in this poem. The poem is about being in love with
another. Love for another can exist without a sexual passion. Elderly couples seem to develop a
sort of love and companionship for one another further down the line in their relationship. This
type of love is almost related to the fervor you'd feel for a cause or an idea. I'm not saying it's
exactly like that type of passion. I'm simply saying that it is most closely related to that type.
People don't always view the passion for another human being with a sexual orientation.

In most cases, passion is not looked at as a sin. Generally speaking, passion is viewed as
something necessary to achieving your goals in life. Henri Frederic Amiel, a Swedish
philosopher and poet living in the 19th century, said, “A man without passion is only a latent
force, only a possibility, like a stone waiting for the blow from the iron to give forth sparks”
(Bartlett). A person can have all of his or her talents, ideals, and wishes, but without the passion
to act, their passions are only possibilities. Without passion, the dream will not be made a

Jefferson 6

reality. In this instance, passion is viewed as a tool used by man to achieve his goals. Man is the
stone, and the blow from the iron is his passion. The sparks produced are the end goal. This
metaphor applies to political activism, sports, love, or anything else one could feel passionate
about. Take, for instance, an individual that is an exceptional soccer player, yet has no drive to
play soccer. Without this drive, or this passion, there is no way he can succeed in this sport.
Passion is a necessary part of our lives. Without it, we are nothing.

In society, there are many different views and definitions of passion. There is a sexual
passion, and a passion for an ideal, a cause, or another human being. These passions are looked
at positively or negatively, but how do we know which passions we should focus on and which
passions can become over-whelming, to the point of an unhealthy behavior? One must make
sure they pursue the correct passion, and this passion should be focused in a logical way. I
interviewed my Geometry teacher, Mrs. Lippert, and she stated, “Passion can be detrimental if
it's wasted on something. You have to be realistic about what's going on in your life. You could
be passionate about another person, but if they don't love you back it's kind of like wasting your
life.” For example, say somebody is very passionate about their artwork, but they're terrible at
art. And let's be honest, being an artist is not always the best career option. Your passion has
been wasted almost. Instead, it would be wiser to put another passion as your focus in life, one
that could bring you success. Your artwork would be something you could do as a hobby or in
your free time. I'm not saying to throw away the passions you have that won't help you succeed,
but you can't let them take over your life. We must feed into our passions. It's only natural. The
sexual passion we feel is the result of biological mechanisms far beyond our control, but we
can't let this consume us. We can't let our passion for basketball consume us. We can't let our
passion for anti-abortion legislation consume us either. We must instead direct these passions,

Jefferson 7

and all of our passions, in a healthy manner.
In an article titled “How Steve Jobs Infused Passion into Products,” the author, James

Stewart, discusses how Steve Jobs' passion was able to be focused into his company in a
constructive manner. Stewart interviewed Donald Norman, a former vice president for
advanced technology at Apple, who said, “'He was really unique, brilliant, demanding and
difficult,' Mr. Norman said. 'Like him or not, it doesn’t matter; he redefined the music industry,
the cellphone industry, computers and animation. You cannot deny the impact he had on the
company, the industry and our culture'” (“How Steve Jobs Infused Passion Into Products”).
This is a shining example of what Mrs. Lippert was talking about. Your passions should be
focused, and you should choose to focus most on the passions that can make you successful.
Steve Jobs took his passion for Apple and was able to turn the company into one of the most
lucrative businesses in the world. I love to play paintball, but I recognize that paintball will not
take me far in life. I instead invest in my passion for my schoolwork, and succeed in that
manner. This can be compared to what Steve Jobs did. It can be assumed he had hobbies, but he
didn't foolishly pursue them. He chose to invest his time and energy into Apple, and this time
and energy paid off. Apple is one of the biggest names in computerized products of this day,
and much of the credit can be given to Steve Jobs. The attention, energy, and focus he gave to
the company transformed it into its present form.

While some people believe that you must choose your passions wisely, there are those
on the opposite end of the spectrum that believe your passions shouldn't be restrained. I
interviewed one of my fellow Taekwondo instructors, Marsha Gerkin, and asked if she believed
there was always a correlation between passion and success. She said, “Yes. You'd have a hard
time finding somebody passionate about something who has failed. I mean I'm sure there are

Jefferson 8

people that have failed initially, but have gotten back up.” This is the opposite of what Mrs.
Lippert thinks. Personally, I'm inclined to agree with Mrs. Lippert. It's a very romantic idea to
think that if you're passionate about something you will definitely succeed, and quite frankly,
it's a bit ridiculous. Investing all of your time and energy into something is only great if it will
pay off and can support you. If you can get by living life comfortably by doing your passion,
then it's not necessarily bad, but when you can't even support yourself it turns foolish. Your
passion for another human being is a wonderful thing too, but if they don't feel passionate about
you then it's a waste of your energy. It's painful to love somebody that doesn't love you back.
Passion doesn't have to be bad in regards to love if the person just doesn't love you back either.
Our passions can consume our lives, to the point of us caring about nothing else and making
foolish decisions. There are examples of this everywhere, especially in regards to love.

Almost everybody has heard of Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. It's a story of two
young people from rival families who fall madly in love with one another. They form a
complicated plan so they may be together, but the plan goes awry and the two end up
committing suicide. This is a shining example of a passion that becomes out of control and
leads to unintelligent decisions. The love that Romeo and Juliet feel for one another is positive.
It's good to be in love with another human being, and the passion you feel for them is like no
other, but it's unhealthy when it blocks a logical thought process. Instead of telling their
families of their love for one another, a plan is formulated to fake their deaths, but one of them
isn't aware of the plan. Romeo, who thinks Juliet is actually dead, takes his own life. Juliet then
wakes up from her intentionally induced slumber to discover Romeo is dead, and then kills
herself. This isn't only foolish because they didn't just come out and tell their families, but it's
foolish because they were so upset they took their own lives over one another. Their passions

Jefferson 9

consumed them to an unhealthy point. Time hopefully would have healed the grief the living
one would have felt for the dead one, but they had let their passions take over so much that they
could not look at the situation they were in logically. This is a very good example of why Mrs.
Gerkin is wrong in that you will succeed in all of your passions. It's almost tough to apply that
to a relationship, but if you think of it as a game or a job, you either succeed or you fail. Romeo
and Juliet clearly failed.

Another good example of a failing passion for another human being can be seen in the
story of Zeus and Semele. Zeus was a god who had many passions, and often times these
passions involved sex. His wife, Hera, was very jealous, but with good reason. She
malevolently convinced Zeus' unknowing lover, Semele, to have Zeus make love to her in his
godlike form. Zeus was stupid enough to agree to this, and, “revealing himself in his full
thunder-bolting glory, killed the frail human Semele” (Gill. “Semele”). Like the story of the
two young lovers Romeo and Juliet, Zeus let his passions consume him, blocking a logical
thought process and making him impulsive. His passion took over his being so much that he
ended up killing the one he loved. I believe that this is a metaphor for life, as many of the
stories from Greek mythology are. We must restrain our passions. They must be tamed, or they
will be the unhealthy focus of our life. They also must be chosen wisely. Zeus should not have
been cheating on his wife, Hera. It was wrong of him to do so, but that doesn't necessarily make
it right for Hera to get Semele killed. Hera's passion, which is more of a dark passion, can be
equated to hatred. That is also bad. Because of this passion, Semele is killed. We must choose
our passions wisely and do the right thing.

Time and time again we are shown ways that passion can either help us or hurt us. Steve
Jobs was able to successfully channel his passion into Apple. The stories of Romeo and Juliet

Jefferson 10

and Zeus' lover Semele have shown us that our passions must be restrained and chosen wisely.
Both passion and logic must be mixed together. We cannot ignore these natural feelings, and we
must express them, but our focuses in life must be chosen wisely. It is good to have your
passions as hobbies, but you should choose the hobbies that will make you most successful as
your central ones. I love to play paintball. It's one of my favorite things in the entire world, but
pursuing paintball as a possible career is a bit futile. Am I saying that it's bad I like to play
paintball? No, our passions aren't bad, they're good. We're human beings. Passion is an inherent
quality that we all share. Whether it is in reference to the passion for a cause or a sexual passion,
it's completely natural. We just need to make sure that we are wise in what we focus our lives
on.