Passion and Obsession

Passions.  Desires.  Those things that drive us.  They keep us motivated; keep us moving forward.  They are the beautiful and amazing things we learn along the path of life.  So when does passion go wrong?  When it becomes obsession.  To devote your life to one thing or another can be one of noblest persuits, especially when it comes in the name of helping others.  However, when it becomes your sole purpose, when all other parts of your life fade so far into the background that they become almost non-existent, then, there is a problem.  When I was in college, I had a professor whom I dearly loved.  While he taught full time at the university, he also had his own private practice as a psychologist.  He was a brilliant and amazing man.  He said something that has stuck with me over the years.  He would always start his class by saying "All extremes are dysfunctional."  Proper psychologist language, you know.  The reason he would say this, aside from the obvious, is quite interesting, actually.  You see, this was a Christian university, and he was talking to students who would come in all zealous about God to the point that they ate, drank and slept God to the extreme.  To the point that they had no friends, they had no close ties with anyone, nor did they want to. Each and every conversation was about God, only God and nothing but God.  If the topic ever slightly strayed, they would try to turn it back to God, or else get all huffy and walk away claiming to be holier than whomever they were talking to.  Most of these students didn't like this professor too much, and some even tried to claim he wasn't even a "real" Christian.  You know the type.  They are always right and everyone else is always wrong.  This doesn't just apply to Chrisianity, by any means.  Its applies across the spectrum into every aspect of life and society.  I left Christianity shortly after college.  I found the same thing happening in all sorts of circles.  It happens a lot at jobs when you have a young newcomer thinking they know better than the boss.  We see it all the time in politics with one party thinking they know better than the other, or the government of this country thinking they know better than the government of that country.  And I think most, if not all of us, have dealt with (or even been one ourselves) a teenager at some point who thinks they know everything.  When I first started studying paganism, I found it there, too.  If you're not this particular "brand" of pagan, then you're not doing it right.  Now I'm seeing it in a relatively new circle.  The growing movement that believes in an ascension of earth and human consciousness.  What I find the most ironic, however, is what all of these spiritual paths have in common.  All of them claim to tout universal love and acceptance.  Different terminology, different names for their higher power.  But they all promise love.  Love is great!  Love is awesome!  Love is the most beautiful part of life!  WHEN IT IS TRULY UNCONDITIONAL.  As soon as human ego steps in, though, it takes an extremely ugly turn.  "I'm more spiritually advanced than you are."  "I'm more connected to the universal life force."  "I'm more in touch with who I am" (that's a big one).  At the first incling of a thought that you are better than someone else in any way, it becomes conditional.  The thing is, it's not a competition.  Or at least it shouldn't be.  That's the whole idea of uncondotional love.  Each of us have our own strengths, and we each have our weaknesses.  What we should be doing is truly helping each other, not looking down our noses at someone because in one tiny little aspect, they haven't learned what you have.  I can absolutely guarantee you that there are some things that person has learned that you have not.  Nor should we have such a high opinion of someone else that everything we do revolves around trying to earn that person's/group's approval or acceptance.  They are in no better a place to judge you than you are to judge them.  We should be helping each other, building each other up, offering our assitance to those who need it, and NEVER expect anything in return.  Yes, a thank you is nice from time to time.  It is such a beautiful expression of gratitude coming from a heart that earnestly means it. But is it truly necessary for the one who receives it to feel somehow more complete?  It shouldn't be.  The concept is simple:  stay humble, remain true to yourself, accept others how and where they are, keep learning and growing and moving forward.  There is always something new to learn.  We each have our own paths to walk.  No two journeys are the same. And yet there is one constant that I believe we all share.  Do you want to know the meaning of life?  Do you want to know your purpose here?  Love.  Pure, unadulterated, unconditional love.  It's the same for all of us.  Yes, we each have our own ways of spreading and showing that love, sometimes even utilizing "tough love".  We each have our own lessons to learn to be able to love.  It doesn't mean we're not going to have bad days, or get along with everyone, or meet people we would like to whop upside the head with a 2 x 4.  But we are all here to love.  One God, many Gods/Goddesses, no God.... doesn't matter.  Love.  Love of yourself, love of others, love of life.  LOVE. <3 Namaste <3