Respect the Passion

If you are based in Europe at this time of the year, then perhaps you will be hearing and reading this phrase more often than anyone else. … The Euro-cup Football Mania is gripping everyone and all the brands are aching on this public craze. “Respect the Passion” is the tagline of Kio Advertisement. My humble request to all my readers is to please lend me 30 secs of your time and watch the clip attached with this post. I really will not mind even if you don’t read my post… but please watch the video clip and only then proceed further.

I am witnessing this public craze at close quarters and I am awed and impressed at the same time ( I am yet to learn the language.. so cant really understand if they are fighting over their team or is it just a wild display of appreciation… ). Not that I have not witness public craze at home… but I must admit, I am more scared when I see the cricket fever gripping everyone else. I would in fact appreciate tennis fans back home when the Grand Slams is scheduled and fans make a beeline at various tennis clubs so that they can watch Federer, Nadal, Jokovic, and others in big screen, over a mug of beer. At that juncture, whosoever watching the match in the same premises is their back slapping pal… (Sometimes rather too hard… depends on who supports whom). There is a certain amount of dignity seen among tennis enthusiasts, and it is this dignity that set my train of thoughts in motion ( plus.. internet is restricted and I have to make maximum use of my offline time…)

Aren’t we all passionate about our passion ?… oh yeah !.. indeed… there cannot be any second opinion about this… Now, if your passion is a bit expensive and is biting on the family budget, and family time…then I am certainly not on your side. Mate… you are slipping from passion to obsession… time to do a rain-check. When was the time you passionately defended your passion, argued for it , laid yourself bare to prove a point ??… How injured were you when your perception was not perceived by those arguing with you ?… Would you say.. they were so blind.. they could not see my point of view ? Take a minute and think about it

Perhaps you might have witnessed something to this effect. Why do you think they were fighting tooth and nail?… Whats so special about a certain aspect of our interest that people donot hesitate to dare and bare? .. It’s an interesting scene to watch when passions are being argued…. ( This is like… you always enjoy most at your friend’s wedding… while at your own wedding…you are so preoccupied and constantly spoken to… that you hardly remember to enjoy )
With very opinionated teenagers in the family, such arguments are common. In fact, I personally believe that this is an important part of growing up. But when they do get carried away, one of us would intervene and ask them to “mind their own business”… I have also witness firey arguments over passion ( the most common example would be involving the cine-field Kamal – Rajini , Amir – Sharukh ,KaranJohar Movie – Non Karan Johar Movie Overacting and PrakashRaj… etc etc).. Sometimes these arguments turn sour and highly unpleasant. Each one would be waiting for a chance to demean the interest of others.

While defending one’s passion, and arguing who is correct, we forget the principle of two lines (இரு கோடுகள்).. One need not demean the passion of the other in order to express “my passion is greater than yours”… merely citing the bests of ones own passion would raise the bar so high, that it will become hard to demean the other. Perhaps, we must all learn to “Respect the Passion” and not reason with it.