A different way to think about passion
I was listening to an interview with Daniel Humm, the chef who owns the 3 Michelin star restaurant Eleven Madison Park in New York, and he was talking about how, post-Covid, he’d shifted the restaurant to be 100% plant based. The idea of passion came up, amongst a discussion of following one’s heart, that grand narrative of today that emphasises the importance of running with the thing that moves you.
And Humm, who is from Switzerland, said this, which I found so interesting
In German the word passion is leidenschaft and leiden is actually ‘suffering’ and schaft is sort of like ‘enduring’, you know endure suffering or be willing to suffer for something. Because that’s really passion, otherwise it’s just like a hobby. But if you’re passionate about something, are you willing to suffer for it?
This is something I haven’t been able to get out of my head. I’ve got a hunch that he’s right.
But is it what schools have in mind when they speak of passion projects? I’m not so sure. It certainly wasn’t what was in my head when I thought of them. What I thought was more like:
Passion! > Engagement! > Projects! > Focus! > Learning! > Results! > Happy! > Yay!
(Cue sunshine and roses)
Anyone else out there have something similar in their heads?
The wrong kind of suffering
Have you ever been moved to do something, despite it being tough? What drove you? Were you put off by the suffering you had to endure as you did it? Why did you not shirk from what was required and take the easy path? Did you learn?
Equally, have you ever been made to do something, despite not wanting to. How tough was it? How were you driven to do it, and how did you endure that despite the suffering it entailed? Did you give it your all, or take the easy path? Did you learn?
And equally, have you ever done something because it seemed like a good idea, but your heart wasn’t singing? What drove you? Did the motivation sustain itself? Did you finish it, and why? When things got tough, what did you do? Did you learn?
Are students enduring suffering in the right things at school? There are plenty for whom learning [insert subject] is, at the least a bit ‘meh’, and for some a real struggle. And yet, they are made to endure it. This isn’t the same thing as what Humm speaks of though, is it. This kind of suffering is a demotivating, often a crushing, experience. This kind of suffering makes people want to avoid things that are hard.
Is this why so many students opt for the easy option?
Interested in your thoughts on this.