"Philosophy as a discipline of reason, argument and logic bores me. I find it empty. Philosophy is interesting and beautiful when it is pumped full of passion and fire. I like the idea that we can find philosophical truths and express ourselves through art (all kinds, but I'm interested in painting, poetry and music in particular). I love what thinkers like Heidegger and Nietzsche have said about how art is sort of the saving grace of humanity. Non-systemmatic means of truth acquisition, whatever they may be, I believe bear the most fruit, and I want to dive in. I want to see what happens when we look really closely at what's happening when a human being is in the throes of creative expression, apprehending something that moves them, when they're in a moment of passion, when they're in love. I think it's THERE that truth or whatever you want to call it, the real substance of life lies. I'm particularly obsessed at the moment with George Bataille and his writing on eros and thanatos, on the selfsameness of sex and death...the things in our world and in our lives that bring us to face those are, well, the things worth studying and looking at."
- My self from 2009
I mostly agree with this. Passion certainly is seductive and warm, but as I wander along, I find that from the point of view of our inmost Self, passion is yet another attachment of the ego. Perhaps it's greatest high. Let's not forget passion also means suffering. It seems most of us (for better or worse) feel truly alive when in the grips of suffering.
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