From Ember to Firestorm
Adam Falck, Photography by Yiling Zheng
Amidst an otherwise peaceful forest, a single spark can ignite the brightest of flames and the hottest of fires. This fierce, almost unstoppable force destroys everything in its path, but eventually, the forest will heal. New plants will grow, trees will spring up from the earth and perhaps tower even higher over the ground than before. Just as forests are changed by wildfires, so are we changed and molded by our passions. These passions are, just like wildfires, often ignited by a single spark – a lecture, an encounter, a challenge – and can often make us burn more brightly than anything else. Without a fire inside driving us forward and giving our actions a purpose, life becomes unbearably stale. But how do we even go about finding this fire?
While an arsonist can easily burn down a house with a can of gasoline and some matches, starting a fire within yourself is not so easy. Finding a passion is seldom instantaneous and is instead best characterized as a great trial and error process where you desperately throw things at the wall, hoping that something sticks. Sometimes, necessity is the mother of passion. Recognizing a challenge, a gap, or a need in society can give birth to a lifelong goal, and many entrepreneurs have found their purpose in life just by seeking solutions to a problem they have personally faced. As we walk through the great oak door and sit down in the aula every morning, each day becomes an opportunity to find that spark that we so desperately desire.
Even today, the grip of societal expectations remains disappointingly firm. While the dangers of submitting to societal pressures could easily be an article of its own, there is no doubt that many fires of passion have been smothered under the heavy blanket of expectation. Nowadays one might argue that we live in liberal times where individual choice is often praised, yet the undertow of what most people consider “normal” remains. Today’s pressure might not appear as directly as it once did, instead it lurks in the shadows as implied standards: the success stories highlighted by media, the measures of academic achievement, and even the casual conversations that so often steer into talks about status and accomplishments, just to name a few examples. The impact of these societal expectations on individual passions can be profound. Many have traded their genuine interests for careers that promise stability, prestige, or societal approval. An artist might become a nurse, not out of love for medicine and healing but due to the allure of a “stable” profession. A dancer might put away their ballerina shoes, pressured by the looming question, "But is this a real career?".
These choices, while practical or even necessary in some contexts, can lead to a life devoid of the fervor and joy that true passion brings.
It could most likely be said that all of humanity is united in at least one goal: the pursuit of meaning. In a world where we don’t have to fight for our survival anymore, life can easily become a mere collection of chores, where hours are seen as checkpoints and activities as obligations. It is here where a passion makes all the difference. A relatable example of this could be music. Imagine cleaning your apartment. Boring, right? Now infuse this moment with some of your favorite music flowing gently through your ears. Instantly, the mundane has transformed. The morning commute becomes a private concert, the shower a stage, and even the sometimes-laborious task of cleaning your apartment has become bearable. In this example, a deep love of music, a passion if you will, has genuinely transformed some of life’s most uneventful and meaningless moments into an enjoyable experience.
Meeting someone who is truly passionate about something is often quite contagious, and can easily spark a similar enthusiasm within us and help emphasize the journey of finding our own passions. There is something innately happy about seeing a dear friend’s eyes light up as they start to talk about the thing that makes something deep within them burn hot. One of the most striking things about passionate individuals is their ability to draw you into their own world, if just for a moment. For just a second, a minute, or a conversation, two people can share and bond over something that makes them truly happy. It can serve as a powerful reminder that among the ups and downs of everyday life, there are people who seem to have found their call, and it is hard not to be infected by their joy.
As we navigate all the complexities life has to offer, our passions, and the pursuit of them, becomes like a fire burning hot within us, guiding and driving us to a life of purpose and fulfillment. Remember, finding your passion is not a race or a competition, it is a highly personal journey that requires patience, dedication and the occasional leap of faith. As students at SSE, we have the privilege of having a myriad of opportunities at our fingertips. Each lecture, each seminar, each occasionally fascinating page in an otherwise dreadful course book, everything we do, read, or experience here is a potential spark that might just be the kickstart of a new passion. So, as we step out of the oak door and into the world, we should do that carrying with us the determination to discover and celebrate our passions, as we not only enrich our own lives, but the lives of those around us as well.