Passions

Passions

a think piece by Faith, Cambridge University student and member of the Jumped Up Theatre Sound Board

Is there a problem with passion? “What gets you out of bed in the morning?” - it’s a question we’re constantly asking or trying to answer. When we ask questions such as “What motivates you?,” really we are asking, “What is your passion?”

Passion is a motivator for the pursuit of personal interest. It’s powerful and sometimes irrational. It’s why people become doctors, teachers, singers. Without their passion, our hospitals and classrooms would be empty, our radio stations silent.

Passion, therefore, has overly positive connotations – it's a source of inspiration, a cause for action.

So, what might be the problem with passion? I can think of a few reasons.

Firstly, a danger lies in the fact that passion is often described as all-encompassing - something that consumes you. It’s a typical expectation vs reality situation:

Passionate about sports? The expectation is that you spend every waking moment watching tennis, playing football, coaching rugby. Have a passion for art? Naturally, you should constantly be painting, drawing, visiting an art gallery or at least always thinking about visiting one.

Today, in efforts to understand one another, we’re quick to box people in. Think about the nicknames we use – we’ve all known a “sporty kid” or a “science nerd”. In reality, these labels restrict individuals to a singular identity. We assume passion is mutually exclusive.

I’ve experienced a second problem during my first year at university: the pressure to find a passion. Especially somewhere like Cambridge, it can feel like there’s a competition to prove your passion for your degree or subject.

There is mounting pressure among young people to find that ‘one thing’ and to find this ‘thing’ as soon as possible. After all, those like Greta Thunberg and Emma Raducanu among the countless other youths on social media already seem to have it all figured out.

From as young as 14 we’re expected to choose our GCSEs - choices which will consequentially impact A-Levels and even options like university. Students are only exposed to so much at school. What are you expected to do if your passion isn’t for the core subjects like Maths, English and Science?

This leads to my final problem: what about those who don’t feel they have a passion at all? 

We all have interests, but would every person who likes movies to consider themselves passionate about film? Probably not.

Not every person who enjoys reading will be ‘passionate’ about literature.

Young people now feel that they must have a niche, a defining interest... But what if you don’t have one?

Is there a solution to the problem with passion? Perhaps our ideas about passion are a tad unrealistic. In my opinion, we need to re-evaluate how we approach the entire concept.

As a word, passion comes in two aspects. Moving away from thinking about passion as a thing (a noun), we can start embracing it more as a feeling (a verb). Whether it’s a life-consuming interest or a passing hobby, feeling passionate about something should be enough to justify it as a passion.

Pursuing your passion means overcoming whatever obstacles that might arise and there is a courage in this that we should celebrate. Our passions might become our lives’ defining motivators... or they might not. In any case, passion can never be forced – it is always genuine. Passion is doing what you want and perhaps it should be as simple as that.