Thinking is a Serious Problem: The Danger of Passion

Most people I know think that having passion for something is a good thing. This seems to make sense when you talk about such things as aiding the poor, searching for a cure for AIDS, or helping the local school system improve child outcomes. And yet there are big thinking and behavioral problems that may arise from one’s passion.

What can we say about passion?

­  Passion is the emotional energy generated by a powerful attachment to something.

­  Passion is a part of being human.

­  It is neither good nor bad in itself, but can clearly be used for both.

At this point in the conversation people are likely to become severely agitated with me, if not outright angry. They see their passion in terms of a positive goal or outcome, one in which they have invested very large amounts of energy, and one which, by definition, is absolutely good. It is impossible for them to see that passion can have both pleasant and unpleasant sides. The good side is clear when we think of Nelson Mandela’s passion for both his country and its people, of all races, a very good thing, indeed. The bad side is equally clear when we reflect on the passion of Pol Pot and his minions which led to the death of one-third of Cambodia’s population.

Those passionate folks still hanging around this conversation may agree that Pol Pot-type excesses are horrific and a tragic part of passion, but their passion, help for the homeless, for example, cannot be a problem because the passion’s goal is such a good thing. Wrong again. The problem is not the goal, which may very well be admirable. The problem is the passion itself, in two ways. First, for most folks passionate about something, a problematic identification has occurred: the good things they wish to accomplish have merged with their egos, and are one. This results in a blinding level of emotional commitment. Anyone who does not hold the same view of the goal cannot be tolerated because that different view represents an assault, not just on the goal, but on themselves as persons.

Second, the passion is seen as prima facie evidence not only of the goodness of their aims, but also of their personal moral rightness. Since passionate people have little or no allowance for difference, those with “deviant” views are seen not only as wrong, but morally corrupt as well, calling for emotionally-laden attacks on both the person and his/her ideas. This is justified by the passionate one’s total belief in the rightness of the cause or goal. Terribly unpleasant and hostile behavior can arise from such passion, but it is easily explained as not only necessary---the goal is good---but obligatory as the other person is evil.

I have a friend who is passionate about the rights of those in this country illegally. His passion consumes him when he sees that another does not agree, and his anger and attacks are horrendous. His passion completely blinds him to the idea that he could have a laudable goal even while others might disagree with his goal, or with the implications of pursuing such a goal. In his and most others’ minds (really, in their emotional systems), dissent is not possible and must be instantly and powerfully eradicated. He cannot allow them any space to exist because they represent a threat to his own emotional wellbeing.

So, the connection to thinking: passion can totally prevent a person from seeing arguments to the contrary. Thus, a conversation that is uplifting, where we each understand more about a complex issue and where there is no “I-win, you-lose” attitude, is not possible. People passionate about one side or the other of contentious issues (think of affirmative action, abortion, gay marriage, and climate change) generally are not thinking, but emoting. The result is near hysterical levels of anger and outrage, and not a bit of real thought. In such circumstances we can be sure of only one thing: each side will attempt to “annihilate” the other by any means fair or foul.

A sidelight to such “conversations” is that both sides believe completely in the objectivity of their positions and arguments, while seeing the other side as moronic and irretrievably evil. Their passion has created a very big problem on its own, and another equally big one is created with their absolute belief in the correctness of their position and in their objectivity. False on both  counts, even when their passion is directed positively.

Regardless of the obvious value (and it may not always be obvious) of the goal of their passion, I am wary around people who have passion about anything. They can do wonderful things, and they can wreak thinking and behavioral havoc.