Category: Love

What Is The Relationship Between Fear And Passion?

Passion and fear are both emotions that you are bound to experience over time. Are they linked in some way?

On the surface, there wouldn’t seem to be much in common between the emotion of passion and that of fear. One would seem to be positive, and bring about joy and interest. The other is more negative.

However, once you are passionate about something, you might very well fear it’s loss.

Imagine something, if you will, about which you are passionate. Maybe your family or friends. A sports team, perhaps, or a career.

Now think about a threat it might be taken away from you. What might you do to prevent that? What lengths might you go to keep the thing that you love, that brings meaning to your life?

The person who doesn’t care about anything doesn’t fear losing anything. They don’t, however, experience the same joy and happiness that the rest of us do.

Passion can generate fear in another way, as well. Think about  a performer getting up at an open mic, or an author with a new book, or an athlete in a championship game. They care deeply about what they are doing, but are scared about presenting to the public, and how their work will be received. They fear messing up, of failing in front of everyone. Yet that fear can also drive them.

So how are the fear and passion related? And how does the experience of one inform the other? How can we prepare for them both, in a way that is productive and healthy?

Related questions: What are you passionate about? What role does fear play in your life? What is the right amount of emotion?

Strict Or Nurturing?

Which do you believe is a better approach to parenting — and to life in general: tough love or unconditional love? Is it better to be strict or nurturing? How were you raised?

Share why if you wish.

Strict Or Nurturing?
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Is Personal Interaction A Vanishing Practice?

As our technology has gotten more advanced, in many ways we are using it to replace human interaction. What is it costing us?

Under the right circumstances, you could go for days, or possibly even weeks, without being in the same room with someone else. After all, you can order your groceries online and have them delivered to you. Many jobs can be done remotely. Just about anything you need can be purchased through the internet.

Even if you decide to leave your house, interaction can be kept to a minimum. You can avoid any awkward chit chat with grocery store employees by opting for the self-checkout line. Wearing headphones or ear buds ensures people will not talk to you.

We’ve even, as a society, decided that a voice-to-voice phone call is too much. Civilized people text instead.

Even sex is being configured to take place alone. Porn is available to anyone at any time, and now we even have remarkably realistic sex dolls or robots.

The reason for our self-imposed isolation is fairly obvious: interacting is hard! And it can be awkward at times. Everyone has their own preferences. Some people like to talk about anything and everything; others are quiet. One person might be a hugger, while another doesn’t even like to shake hands. Maybe you don’t know what to say most of the time.

As more and more our lives are spent minimizing the time spent with others, are we getting out of the practice of making small talk? Is it harder to bond with someone now, compared to a decade ago? Is personal interaction a vanishing practice? How can we engage more with others?

Related questions: What are our responsibilities to others? How can we encourage meaningful conversation? Do you feel lonely? What role does community play in your life?

How Do You Make It Possible To Do What You Love?

Even if you know what you want to do with your life, there can be many things preventing you from doing it. How do you overcome them?

There are many obstacles that can get in your way. The most obvious, of course, is that you may not know what it is that you love to do. Finding what fulfills you is one of the great projects in life.

If you are lucky enough to know what you love to do, there are still several things that may stand in your way.

For instance, you may not have the necessary skills or attributes. If you love playing basketball but are only five and a half feet tall, the most you can be is an enthusiastic amateur.

Similarly, health concerns may prevent you from doing what makes you happy. A musician might lose their hearing, say, or a writer could lose their eyesight.

Financial obstacles may get in the way as well. If you love something that requires a lot of money but you don’t have it, what then? Do you learn to live without, or find some way of doing an expansive activity on the cheap? Or maybe find an extra way to earn the necessary funds?

There may also be time restrictions, geographical limitations, too much competition, or any number of other potential problems.

When faced with such an obstacle, what do you do? Can you think of a specific instance in your life that fits this description? How did you overcome it, or did you reluctantly give up on your passion or your dream? How might you handle a future issue that could arise?

Related questions: What are you passionate about? What do you do best? Why do we like what we like? What gives you purpose? What are you willing to sacrifice?

What Did You Hate That You Now Love?

Tastes change over time. Do you find there is something you used to hate that you eventually grew to love? Or even the reverse?

Share why if you wish.