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Realism vs. Passion

Friday

Friday

Bazinga!
Yeah, we might have covered this before, but I've been thinking about it.

What is wrong with looking at the world with a certain amount of passion? Must everything be tempered with reality? No flights of fancy, no idea inspiring you into action?

I must admit to feeling a litle desensitized, lately.
 
TJHairball said:
Well, some people are exceedingly passionate about realism. That can make it hard.
Click to expand...
Oh, snap! That is a way of looking at it that never occured to me.

Well, whaddaya know.
 
Are you making decisions based on passion that might adversely affect the lives of others? If so, you have an ethical obligation to set your passion aside and ground yourself in the real world.
 
Hmm...maybe. However, passion is a great motivator for positive action.

My passion for my profession enables me to improve others' lives.

My passion for women's causes enables me to take steps to improve the equity between the sexes.

From your point of view, tho, one should always start with a logical point of view, grounded in reality.

Where does the motivation come from?
 
The motivation obviously comes from a desire to make things better--to improve a situation.

However, to improve a situation, you need to have a realistic understanding of exactly what the situation is, and how various courses of action might affect the status quo.

You also have to have an understanding of what the limitations are--how reality prevents you from having the ideal you may wish to attain.

This is particularly true in matters of gender equity. For example, I don't want some petite little thing becoming a firefighter. I want some big-ass dude with substantial upper body strength. Numbers and quotas be damned--a firefighter has to be able to carry an unconscious person out of a burning building, and with a few exceptions, most women are unable to pass the physical strength tests given by most fire departments. I most definitely do not want women to be given a "modified" test so that more will pass and the numbers will pass muster with fucked-up organizations like N.O.W.

You've watched TOS. Why is Kirk such a phenomenal leader? Because he takes the best of McCoy and Spock. And that Spock part is important. Very important.
 
Another way to look at the equation is to substitue "drive" for "passion", and "direction" for "reason."

Without direction, drive can be as destructive as it can be constructive.
 
But uncannily relevant. Huh...

Anyway, Kefka, what's your take on Passion vs. Realism? Should one supercede the other?
 
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