Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Passion Where You Least Expect It

Passion is a powerful thing. Raw, unabridged passion that is so real and unmistakable, you become transfixed within it and only realize later you have been transformed.

I experienced this tonight. In a dinner conversation with a man nearly, if not totally, considered a legend among my industry circle, I was drawn into a conversation about a subject I know very little about and ordinarily pay minimal attention; paintings. While art, in a general sense, has been a topic of interest as of late, in its most physical form, I have certainly not spent much time pondering. Yet, amid a room of one hundred agri-marketers, where I could have a very fulfilling conversation with nearly anyone on any number of subjects pertaining to agriculture, food or farming, I was captivated by a conversation about paintings.

Though it is true, James is about as good a chap as you can find (and chap is fitting, seeing as he is English), his uncanny ability to grab my attention was by and large due to the passion he has for his collection and the sport of doing so. It was totally spellbinding, and I not only learned a little but I was utterly inspired. I left there thinking more about the conversation about paintings, then the entire meeting. Which is both unfortunate, but not. I am inspired by not only his love for collecting but the passion by which he recounted story after story, like they were great conquests. Of which, some absolutely were and the odd, inappropriate joke, which only a semi-retired Englishman can get away with, never hurts either.

Seriously though, it made me wonder; if I could be so spellbound by a conversation about a subject I ordinarily pay no attention, is that not really what passion is? Do we throw the "P" word around so much today it has almost lost its meaning entirely for most of us? We are all passionate about something or other, but are we really? And if it is true passion, do you convey it so it captivates the world? Especially if you don't have a clever-sounding accent?

It's honest and pure, ever-more fleeting passion that creates impact. It invites followers, evokes action, and literally changes the world. Or in this case, saves my Grandma's antique paintings from the township dump.

L.A.C. Panton painting Photo Credit: www.robertsgallery.net

No comments:

Post a Comment