Passion

So, I thought I'd start out with an easy topic, something light for the sake of easing into this, both for me and whoever might be reading this. Therefore I asked myself "what is the most predominant feeling in my life at this very instant?" and the answer was simple:

Passion!

Now, there are a lot of different forms that passion can take. It can be the passion that one holds for another human being, whether it be family, friends or a life-partner (or even an animal for that matter - I'm looking at you, PETA); it can be the passion one holds for work, hobbies or sports; or it can be passion of the sweaty-baby-making variety. In any case, passion is what makes the world go round. Some say it's money, some say it's people...

This guy says it has something to do with falling apples.

... but the fact of the matter is that if passion didn't exist, the world would be a hell of a lot more boring for all of us. I mean, think about it: If you never had anything to look forward to, never had anything to be excited about, you would most likely be declared clinically depressed (or worse, emo). So it is in fact passion that keeps us going, passion that makes it worth getting out of bed even on a horrible day, because you know that sometime down the road you will be enjoying one of your passions yet again.

So what are my passions? Admittedly, feelings can be a bit of a mess to sort out, but I do know that my primary passions in life are love, learning, food, exercise/sports and music! The order changes somewhat according to my immediate needs and mental state, but overall, those are the things that keep me going. I may not always feel passionate about them, depending on my mood as well, but the passion is always there. And today, what sparked this whole introspective glance into passion itself, was music!

A little backstory here is required: As far back as I can remember, I've always loved music.

Pictured: World's youngest MC.

Of course, most people from around the world tend to love music in some form or another, or at least tolerate it (as long as it's not the Spice Girls), but I've always found myself to be drawn to the creative side of music. In most of the home-video recordings made by my mom, I'm found, like most other videos of small children, either in the bathtub or in the living-room, my tiny baby-penis proudly on display for the whole world to see (parents' creepy obsession with filming their kids naked is a whole other discussion for another day).

But by the time I got a bit older, the videos started featuring a less naked, but intensely more dancing, singing, and piano-playing boy. This was a trend that continued onwards throughout the years, warping itself through various twists and turns. There was my brief experiment with techno around age 10 (which I am still convinced is the approximate maturity-level of all techno-listeners), then around 11/12 to 13 I was in a cover-song garage band, which culminated in my first musical stage-performance in front of a roaring crowd of 18 people. And by age 14, I started rapping.

Like all the cool white kids do.

As luck would have it, I ended up becoming one of the few who didn't completely suck at it, and later on I branched out to start producing as well, plus doing the occasional singing here and there once I rediscovered my love for 50s-70s music.

As you might have guessed by now, if you bothered making it this far, is that music is indeed one of my big passions, and has played a significant part in my life because of this. Sometimes it's been therapeutic, other times it's been thrilling - I've performed for crowds of up to hundreds of people, which is quite a rush - but most of all, it's just there for me. Like a good friend that you might not always be able to reach, but that you know will always stick around to help you out when you're in a tight spot or just need to have a good time. That's what passion means to me. Companionship, even when you're alone. It's a sense that there is something out there other than yourself to care for, and whether your passion is chasing girls, collecting Pokemon cards or watching every single episode of Days of our Lives, at least you have a reason to get up in the morning and keep living your life. And that makes it all worth it.

Just as long as your passion isn't the freaking Spice Girls!