Genius Needs Passion
I’m working through more of my study notes from the great novel I finished last week, The Red Tower, by J. B. Simmons. This is the second book in The Five Towers series and “passion” was the theme in the Red Tower. Another quote from the book that caused me to think deeply was Cipher’s comment of, “I still like Blue, but it is cold. Genius needs Passion—otherwise I’m the doctor who’s always better than others, seeing them as tools. But Passion needs something else to control it—otherwise I’m with Samantha, fueling fires that should never be lit.” You probably caught it, but the Blue Towers theme was “genius.” Passion can be a powerful force in channeling genius by providing direction and purpose.
When someone possesses a unique talent or intellect—often referred to as “genius”—it can lead to ideas and creativity that are boundless. However, without passion, that genius may lack focus and become chaotic or overwhelming.
Here’s how passion helps keep genius under control:
- Focus: Passion allows us to concentrate our energy on specific goals or projects, enabling us to hone our skills rather than spreading ourself too thin across many interests.
- Motivation: A strong passion can drive persistent effort and dedication, helping us push through challenges and stay committed to our pursuits, ensuring that our genius is expressed through accomplished work rather than fleeting ideas. In his life before the towers, Cipher had let his genius as a doctor be overtaken by his ambition to recognized as “god-like” in his abilities. He was letting ambition drive his genius and purpose.
- Resilience: Passion can provide the emotional strength to overcome failures and setbacks. This resilience ensures that genius is not easily discouraged and can continue to evolve and adapt over time.
- Guidance: Passion along with our purpose acts as a compass, guiding decisions and actions. When individuals are passionate about a particular subject or field, we are more likely to seek knowledge, mentorship, and experiences that enrich our understanding and skills. This guidance should also help to keep us from falling into the ambition trap that Cipher had.
- Impact: When genius is fueled by passion, it often leads to work that resonates with us on an emotional level. This connection can amplify the impact of the genius, creating works that inspire, motivate, or even transform lives.
In essence, passion serves to channel genius into meaningful, impactful actions, ensuring that talents are utilized effectively and productively.
Passion, Chaos, & Order
This week I finished the second book in The Five Towers series, The Red Tower, by J. B. Simmons. The second book was just as incredible as the first and I am looking forward to reading the whole series. I took so many notes about things characters said in the book and now I am reflecting and thinking deeply about those and doing some blogging. The theme in the red tower was “let passion burn.” When I begin to contrast passion, with the genius of the blue tower, whose battle cry was, “respect the mind,” we begin to see the complexities of living our lives. With three books to go, I’m sure there will be even more insight into these complexities.
In The Red Tower, there is a dragon named Behemoth. When the protagonist of the book Cipher and Emma talk to Behemoth, the dragon told them, “Passion holds chaos at its core. All was chaos before order.” The statement by Behemoth suggested a profound philosophical insight into the nature of passion and chaos. Here’s my take on the message the dragon was conveying:
- Passion and Chaos: The phrase “Passion holds chaos at its core” implies that passion, while often seen as a driving force that energizes and motivates us all, can also be unpredictable and tumultuous. It reflects the idea that intense emotions or desires can lead to disorder if not channeled properly.
- Order from Chaos: The second part, “All was chaos before order,” speaks to the cyclical nature of existence. It suggested that chaos is a fundamental state of being, and from this chaos, order emerges. This reflects a philosophical view that creation and structure often arise from initial disarray.
Behemoth’s words, in this novel, indicate a deeper understanding of the human experience: that our passions can be both a source of creativity and turmoil, and that true order often comes from confronting and embracing that chaos. In the context of the novel, this could relate to character development or the overarching themes of struggle, growth, and transformation.
Reigniting Our Passion
Last evening while facilitating a kickoff of our National FFA Teacher Ambassador trainings, we had teachers discussing needing to regain the “spark” and a desire for networking. I’m excited about this because building relationships are key to keeping our “spark.” By meeting new people and building genuine relationships, you can find support, inspiration, and new ideas that can reignite our passion for our work. Additionally, networking/relationship building can give us access to valuable resources and connections that can help us be successful and regain our spark.
Another great thing about developing new friends is that sometimes they can become mentors to us. Having friends who are also mentors can be incredibly valuable. They know us personally and can provide honest feedback, guidance, and support that is tailored to our individual needs and goals. Plus, they are invested in our success and will often go above and beyond to help us achieve our objectives.
Leading The Crusade
I always talk about having “passion bubbles” – those things that I am passionate about and want to work on to hopefully change the world. Those “passion bubbles” are what Mark Twain described as being what takes up the extra space we have in our hearts for things we care about. This past week I had a person describe me as a “crusader.” Never before had I ever considered myself a crusader. A crusader, I found, is someone who is dedicated to a cause or mission and is willing to go to great lengths to achieve it. Okay, guilty as charged! My crusades are my passion bubbles. Everyone needs to be a crusader for something.
If we are to be special as a crusader, we need to have an unwavering commitment to our ideals and a willingness to take risks and make sacrifices in pursuit of our goals. Sometimes that means people will think we’ve gone off the deep end. But, we must possess a strong sense of purpose and believe deeply in the righteousness of our cause(s), which will give us the courage and determination to overcome obstacles and opposition. How about you? Are you a crusader?
Crusaders need to be inspirational figures who inspire others to take action and stand up for what they believe in. As crusaders, we have a powerful impact on society and can bring about positive change by challenging the status quo and advocating for a better future. Overall, what makes a crusader special is our passion (bubbles), courage, and dedication to making a difference in the world. Won’t you join me in the crusade to make the world a better place?
Passion Bubbles
This morning I am contemplating a few things out of recently read books. One out of the great book I finished a couple of weeks ago, Red Dress In Black and White by Elliot Ackerman where it was said, “Family should be at the center of who you are, not the circumference.” The others were by Mark Twain in Volume 3 of his autobiography. Twain spoke of “The things that take up the spare room in my heart.” He also said, “I refuse to take part in things where my heart is indifferent.” This made me think about all the, what I call my “passion bubbles,” I have. These would really be those things that take up the spare room in my heart. This, in turn, got me to thinking about our hearts capacity. Just how much room is in our hearts?
Twain had decided not to take part in things where his heart was indifferent. I consider this a pretty good rule of thumb. It’s usually easy to tell when I am indifferent; I’m not going to comment or not going to get heavily involved. This idea that Elliot Ackerman put in his book of family at the center and not at the circumference is a really good metaphor of how I want to arrange my passion bubbles. Our family should be at the core of what is given prime space in our hearts along with those other prime time passions we have. Then we can fill in the spare space. Interestingly, we also consider the heart being limitless in its ability to love, but we need to realize our limits on the number of passion bubbles we can support.
Each of us has a unique drive to make a contribution and fulfill a purpose. When we combine our passions with our strengths, we can achieve things never even imagined. But, it would probably do us well to consider Twain’s rule of not wasting too much of our heart’s spare room with those things we are indifferent to. This will also give us the room for keeping our family at the center. It’s about having an uncluttered heart.
Leading Like Columbo
Many of you probably could have guessed that after a week of celebrating 50 years of Columbo that I would do a post about the rumpled and disheveled, but brilliant homicide detective played by Peter Falk. I blogged about him before in Listen and Look, Look and Listen. This past Wednesday, September 15th marked 50 years to the day since the first episode. Cozi TV 📺 did a Columbo marathon yesterday, and I made time last night for an episode I had not seen. The episode I watched was Murder, A Self Portrait. A new book, Shooting Columbo, by David Koenig just released this fall and is on my to read list. And…one more thing…I need to go back and reread Falk’s great book Just One More Thing.
There are many lessons that can be learned from the character, Lieutenant Columbo. For example, the conversation with Oliver Brandt in the Bye-Bye Sky High IQ Murder Case: “You know, sir, it’s a funny thing. All my life, I kept running into smart people. In school, there were lot’s of smarter kids, and when I first joined the force, sir, they had some very clever people there and I could tell right away it wasn’t going to be easy making detective as long as they were around. But I figured if I worked harder than they did, put in more time, read the books, kept my eyes open, maybe I could make it happen. And I did. And I really love my work, sir.” Did you catch that? He decided to work harder than everyone else.
Columbo has zero vanity. Most who know me, know I have little use for vanity. For many, vanity and ambition rule their passion. I loved the line in The Bookshop At Water’s End by Patti Callahan Henry that says, “His ego was dented, not his heart.” This was referring to Piper rejecting the plea of the boyfriend who had dumped her to get back together. In other words he really didn’t love her, he just didn’t like being seen as being rejected himself – vanity. It is the lack of vanity and his best feature of humility that give Columbo the skills to work with famous artists, as in the episode I watched last night or a homeless alcoholic in Negative Reaction. He is an authentic person with no false airs about him.
Status symbols don’t matter to Columbo. Just look at his beat up car. He is happy being who he is and being very good at it. That really is a big part of the success of the character of Columbo – being underestimated. It’s a reminder of how much credence we give to images. There are no delusions of grandeur. He’s absolutely content with what he has. We could all learn a lot from this.
“Everything under the surface,” “I would have had to keep digging,” and “You have to finish the painting” were all quotes that were meaningful at the end of the episode I watched last night and spoke to Columbo’s tenacity and thoroughness. Had Columbo not taken the time to read a book about the murdering artist he would not have known about a special paint, Barsini Red, that made solving the case possible. We must keep digging and know there is always more under the surface.
What Do You Look Forward To?
While reading Rules Of Civility by Amor Towles, I was struck by this comment made speaking of her father by the character, Katey Kontent: “Whatever setbacks he had faced in his life, he said, however daunting or dispiriting the unfolding of events, he always knew that he would make it through, as long as when he woke in the morning he was looking forward to his first cup of coffee. Only decades later would I realize that he had been giving me a piece of advice.” This got me to thinking about how today many people don’t seem to be driven by purpose and passion like in the past. They also don’t seem happy. We’ve always been taught that purpose and passion bring happiness and the desire to get out of bed each morning. What if it takes more than purpose and passion for happiness? What if there is more to it?
According to Kieran Setiya, in Midlife: A Philosophical Guide, it also takes looking past our own happiness to “something else.” John Stuart Mill, the famous nineteenth century British philosopher, realized that people who are happy always have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness. “Aiming thus at something else.” Setiya taught us that “The “something else” that you aim at can be any kind of hobby, interest, or pursuit – like watching baseball, cooking, or collecting stamps. All that matters is that it interests you.” It could also be as simple as looking forward, as Katey’s dad from Rules of Civility looking forward each day to his first cup of coffee. Or, Katey’s looking forward to reading each day.
Mill also realized that chasing his passion of changing the world through social reform had caused him to not recognize many of life’s pleasures that had nothing to do with solving problems. Happiness means learning from Katey Kontent and valuing the aspects of life that don’t involve problems and solutions. For you, as it did for Katey, that might mean reading. Or, it may mean that cup of coffee and newspaper each morning. For me, this has reminded me how important my trip to the barn every morning and evening is to my day. Spending time caring for the animals brings happiness to my day – every day. Setiya reminded us that “What matters is making time for passions that involve more than addressing life’s misfortunes.” What are the things that make you happy and keep you excited to get out of bed each morning?
Leading Like Valentine’s Day
Because Valentine’s Day is on Sunday this year, I hope you are spending a Happy Valentine’s Day with those you care most for. And, I hope that tomorrow you will continue to lead like Valentine’s Day with those you work with. The American clergyman, and personal effectiveness writer and speaker, Norman Vincent Peale, considered a burning conviction and contagious enthusiasm to be the most critical factors in successful living and leadership. You, no doubt, probably have someone on this Valentine’s Day you have that kind of passion for. How about in your professional life? Do you have a cause, a passion, or a why that makes you contagious with enthusiasm? Do you have a burning conviction for those you serve?
“Your enthusiasm will be infectious, stimulating and attractive to others. They will love you for it. They will go for you and with you.”
~ Norman Vincent Peale
Valentine’s Day makes us think of love. What comes with the thought of love? Passion and desire. Great leaders have passion. Passion for the work they do. They love leading a team to success. Great leaders also have great desire. They desire to lead a successful organization. So be contagious with your enthusiasm and burn with conviction.
Lastly, don’t do like some do in the romantic realm of Valentine’s Day and only show your love one day a year with flowers or a box of chocolate. That’s not what love is. Love is treating people well every single day of the year. Find ways to treat your people well, with respect, and show them your appreciation. Treating people well will inspire them to new heights. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Do You Feel Like I Do On Christmas 2020?
Here it is, Christmas morning on Day 288 of the Global Pandemic in 2020. It’s easy to get caught up in all that is chaotic in the world right now, but I also want to pause and reflect on this day of the celebration of birth. This is the day that many of us celebrate the birth of Jesus. This day has, and will continue to serve as a day of birth to many new interests for kids. Think about that Lego set or rocket model that spurs an interest in engineering or being an astronaut for a little girl. Or, the electric keyboard that encourages the musical aspirations of a little boy.
I realize there are more significant influences on a child’s career choice than toys or the things they play with on Christmas morning as kids. But, children need access to a healthy play diet. It’s why I believe programs that make sure children get a toy at Christmas are so important. Playing boosts a child’s belief. No child plays with Legos and learns how to build houses, but she might learn how to overlap bricks to create a stable structure. Or, her brother and her might decide how to change the design of the picture on the box as they build. It’s more about confidence and familiarity than an actual skill set.
Toys and playing can compliment attributes in our children such as having their own mind, standing up for their own beliefs, showing initiative, having goals, and finding passion and purpose. I was reminded of all this while reading Peter Frampton’s incredible book, Do You Feel Like I Do? A Memoir, this week. Early in the book he told the story of his dad playing Father Christmas. Their tradition must have been to put the presents at the foot of the bed and his dad was making noise with the wrapping paper. Peter woke up and busted his dad. Of course, no kid’s going back to sleep, so he began to play with acoustic guitar Father Christmas had brought him. I loved the last part of the story in the book when Peter Frampton said, “But I didn’t know how to tune the bottom two strings. Dad said, ‘It’s three in the morning; can’t you go back to bed?’ ‘No, no, come on!’ So he came in and tuned the two bottom strings for me. And from 3:30 in the morning on Christmas when I was eight years old, I haven’t stopped playing since” (p. 11). Was that where the career of an awesome and very talented rock star was created? Probably not completely, but it certainly played a part in his development, or Peter would not have told the story. For one thing, think of the morale boost for a kid to get a musical instrument from his parents. Wow, my mom and dad believe I have talent!
Of course, all of this from the father of the boy who got a milking machine from Santa. In my defense, that was what he asked Santa for. But, that little boy grew up, and is now studying Animal Science at Murray State University and has a respectable herd of Jersey dairy show cattle. Did it all happen because of the milking machine that we assembled on the living room floor and then carried to the barn that Christmas morning? No, but Heath has never forgotten that Santa invested in his interest of dairy cows. Thus, the intersection of purpose and passion were beginning to be defined for Heath.
Now, let’s not overthink this. The most important thing is to make sure our kids have the chance to play. If they have specific interests, great, but it doesn’t have to be a guitar or milking machine. Let’s let kids play with a wide variety of toys and give them the opportunity to discover their interests, passion, and purpose.
Work From The Heart
I am amazed at how one football game is now prompting a third blog post from me. The game was the amazing 38-3 win of the New Orleans Saints over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night. Posts are already out there from me entitled Spreading The Wealth and Catch Me and Prop Me Up inspired by this game. This post is inspired by Terron Armstead, who was really the inspiration for the latter mentioned post as well, and his posting of Colossians 3:23 on his twitter landing. When someone posts a Bible verse, if I don’t remember it, I always look it up and reflect on it. Here is the verse from The Message Bible:
“Work from the heart for your real Master, for God,” ~ Paul to the Colossians
Colossians 3:23 The Message Bible
So this immediately meant working from passion and purpose. I also went ahead and read the whole chapter (3), and verse 17 (Colossians 3:17 The Message Bible) jumped out. Here it is:
“Let every detail in your lives – words, actions, whatever – be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.” ~ Paul to the Collosians
Colossians 3:17 The Message Bible
Does this speak to character, or what? This is all about walking the talk! Our conduct should extend to all aspects of our life, not just a small set of rules. Then for me I need to put verses 22-25 all together. Here is how it reads in The Message Bible:
“22Servants, do what you’re told by your earthly masters. And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. 23 Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, 24 confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. 25 The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work.” ~ Paul to the Colossians
Colossians 3:22-25 The Message Bible
In other words we are to work heartily, giving it our best every day. I believe this why Terron picked this as the Bible verse to put on his landing page. In his case he must give of his all whether it be working out, studying film, practicing in order for him to be able to show up as a positive role model on one of the world’s largest stages NFL game day. This is all about enthusiasm and passion. We may not be on as big a stage as Terron, but we do have influence on others. Demonstrating a good work ethic and attitude makes a tremendous difference on our personal life and on the influence we have on others. Thanks Terron Armstead for posting Colossians 3:23 on your Twitter landing so we could be inspired in the influence we have on others.
Byron's Babbles 
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