Passion, Action, and Being Seen

or, Keshet Training—Part II (sort of). See: Keshet Training, Part I.

Back in the days of AOL Instant Messenger, I was chatting with a friend when he said something about me that I have thought about ever since:

i’ll tell you something
what i like about julie is that she is passionate about the things she is passionate about. which is almost all issues
you have a stance
but i think julie doesn’t know that she has lots of passion to spread around
you are capable of giving a lot of passion to a lot of things.
because your passion is the kind of passion that doesn’t dry up
yours is the kind about which you can say:
“there’s more where that came from”

So, here’s the thing. This was a compliment that went past bone and to the soul. It became a part of me… but I don’t know how much, at least these days, I agree with what my friend said. I am curious about quite a lot of things. I have deep reserves of empathy for lots of different people and issues. But do I really have an opinion on most things? A stance? And what does it mean to give passion to something, anyway?

I once did an activity where a bunch of us stood in a line. A list of social issues was read aloud, and for each one that we really cared about, whether it was supporting it or ending it, we were to take a step forward. Genocide. World hunger. Womens’ rights. Childrens’ labor laws. Sustainability. Preventing animal cruelty. It was a long list, and we took many steps forward.

We left something of ours behind to mark our spot: a shoe, a watch, a cardigan. We returned to where we started, and the list was read again, word for word—except this time, we could only take a step forward if we had spent time or money towards the specific cause. A few of us came close to our shoes, watches, cardigans.

Most of us did not.

I think the point here is not: Let’s spend all our time and money working towards every thing that needs fixing under the sun. There are too many lifetimes’ worth of work to do. Instead, follow your passion—but with action. Otherwise, the gap will keep looming large between your feet and your watch on the sidewalk.

The LGBTQ movement is one I have felt pulled to for a long time. Self-consciousness and insecurity—and, let’s face it, inertia and laziness—made it hard for me to act.

I already wrote about a lot of my reactions to the Keshet training institute I attended; what I didn’t share yet is the moment it all sunk in. I don’t remember the context of the conversation, but someone suggested waiting for change to happen. Sometimes there’s practically nothing to do but wait, this participant was implying.

“I have a question for you,” replied Joanna Ware, Lead Organizer and Training Coordinator at Keshet. She was speaking to the whole room. “What does it mean to wait—when what you are waiting for is to be seen as a full person?”

…

I think it’s possible to have a stance, as my friend said, on a lot of things. Opinions are cheap. But to give passion to a lot of things? I think it’s better to pick a few at a time. And once you’ve got them—I’ve got mine—move your feet.

(Everyone deserves the right to be seen as a full person.)

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