5 Miles.

I'd forgotten how good it feels to run this much. Clears the head. Replenishes the endorphins. Puts me back in better spirits.

Anyway, I just took part of a conversation regarding passion and activism. The question posed was this: Does it make sense to become part of movement of which you have yet to develop a deep passion, for the sake of wanting to present the movement in an aesthetic, artistic way? Basically, is it wrong to do things backwards- first become part of the movement and then hopefully develop the passion for it along the way.

When it comes to forgiveness, Christianity tells us that we are to forgive, regardless of whether or not we are emotionally compelled to do so. The question posed above sort of resembles this thought process. Shouldn't we be active regardless of whether or not we have a strong passion to be so?

My answer: I do think that passion needs to exist before one becomes active in a movement. Granted, more than passion is necessary for a movement to be successful. For instance, a person cannot allow their passion to bury the inevitable truth that there are going to be obstacles along the way. The person must also be prepared and develop a hard work ethic. Passion is essential though because it tends to act as the emotional stimulus for others. It is passion that brings about more people. It is passion that keeps the creative juices flowing. And it is that passion, if kept in the right perspective, that will help the movement through those obstacles.

The person I was conversing with was feeling impatient, longing to discover a movement that he/she was passionate enough about to start taking action. I'm not a firm believer in "waiting until God lays things in front of you." I believe that you need to be actively searching while actively praying. This is the same situation. To discover the passion, start with smaller, simpler outlets. Establish connections. Have experiences. And along the way, that passion is bound to one day overwhelm you.