passion AND humility

I was thinking about another blogger's post: 'We railers at wrong-doing are not free from imperfection ourselves, so have a little humility.'

I guess I feel I must be at my least interesting to other people when I am railing at the world.

They see injustice too. They have their own fears and worries. Being a member of the choir shouldn't be a license to be preached to...

Well, that's what I feel about me.

At the same time, I am genuinely interested in what people are passionate about. What gets their color up. It may not always be pretty or my cup of tea, but there is virtue too in expressing frustration- even while acknowledging our own imperfection.

Being passionate brings out some of the best qualities in people. Music, Art, Oration, Athletic achievement, Civil Service-- all benefit from passion. Some of that may be passion to redress wrongs.

Jazz, loved the world over (except inside Jeremy's head) and a source of great joy, had its beginnings as a response to the agony of slavery.

We can't know what will happen when we get stirred up, do something about it, open our yaps. We may put our foot in it royally. Or we may inspire big deeds.

But we can guess what happens when we do nothing, refuse to be roused. The things that affect us will continue and likely worsen as other passions drive them, unchallenged.

And that is why politics scares the hell out of me and gets my passion up.