Passion and Truth

I’ve always been partial to the natural and physical sciences and thus, in high school, was drawn towards astronomy, a field which uniquely, I think, melds the sometimes chaotic natural world with the exquisitely refined computational and logical world.  It is one of the few disciplines which encompasses almost every aspect of human existence.  I came to believe over the course of my studies that if everyone in the world took just one introductory astronomy class over the course of their lives (the earlier the better), the world would be a much saner, “happier” place.  After you’ve seen yourself as a mote in space and time, a speck of expelled star-stuff on a non-descript planet around an uninteresting star in the outreaches of a run-of-the-mill galaxy existing for a nano-second out of infinity, fighting over parking spaces, strip malls, and artificial borders through a desert seems downright silly.

Our passions beget our truths.

I ran in high school but not until recently could I call myself a runner.  When you run every day heedless of the weather, show up for a race in the middle of a blizzard or hurricane, take several weeks off (and loathe every minute of it) to rehabilitate yet another injury, then you may call yourself a runner.  Once again I came to believe that if everyone were a runner, they would care more for themselves and their environment and in so doing, would come to care more about the well-being of those around them.  The crystalline moments under the stars and at the end of a completely exhausting long run would stand in sharp relief against a background of daily existence and enhance all future moments with a new perspective and clarity.  I strive to feed my body the fuel it deserves from natural rather than synthetic sources; I seek renewable forms of energy for myself and my household; I acknowledge my position in the chain of life.  If everyone were a runner …..

Lately as I struggled through my most recent injury with hours spent on the bike and in the pool, it became clear that it is within each of our passions that we find the truths with which we shape our world.  As I touched the worlds of the swimmer and the mountain biker, I glimpsed the truths which defined their realities and in so doing, became more sensitive to the forces that drive each of us.  We all have our passions whether they be in automobiles, insects, professional sports, religion, on-line chat rooms, or running.  These passions define our very being and the ways in which we perceive and interact with our world.  Through our passions we learn and grow; we create realities based on the layers of truths spawned from our passions.  Let us not forget these things when we work and play with others.

Know me then; now, I am a runner.