Passionate reason

A good and longtime friend posted the following quote on his Facebook page:

"Passion should overwhelm reason time and again."

I know not the context in which the quote originated, but attribution goes to Uruguayan watercolor artist Alvaro Castagnet. I do not have my friend’s eye for art, but even I could see the passion Castagnet put into his work found online.

The quote, however, bothered me from the moment I read it, not because of its apparent application to art. No, I thought how easily it could apply to issues we’re dealing with in today’s society.

The Tea Party movement comes to mind, as do those protesting the protesters.

I’m not really up on the movement, but I recognize its origins. They feel the federal government has taken too much control from state and local governments. They feel taxes are too high and that too much money is wasted. They feel politicians have lost touch with the people.

On the other side, I see people blasting the movement mainly by attempting to make fun of its members as ignorant, racist and/or heartless. Many of these people feel government should do more to protect people and that, of course, requires money.

So, in this highly simplistic example, we have two considerably divergent viewpoints that could serve as a foundation for a lively debate, some give-and-take, some filtering through other thought processes and ... voila ... new, creative and constructive ideas form.

Or, the sides could resort to the idea that passion overwhelms reason and draw battle lines in lieu of discussion points.

Passion plus reason

With apologies to Castagnet, whom I doubt intended any such interpretation, you see why I initially cringed when I read the quote.

Do not leap to a conclusion I am against passion.

Heavens, no, for without passionate people, few good things would get accomplished and it would be far more difficult to stop bad things.

However, we cannot afford for passion to overwhelm reason time and again.

Passion drives new ideas. Passion emboldens old ideas. Passion makes people get out of bed in the morning.

Reason makes passion work.

Passion is fire. It’s hot, virile and compelling. It also consumes.

Reason governs passion to make it work.

Put a spark to gasoline and you have a passionate fire.

Contain that fire inside a reason-built combustion chamber and you have an engine capable of driving progress.

On the other hand, should you remove passion from the mix, reason is a dried up excuse for what might have been.

Strictly reasonable people with solidly reasonable ideas do not easily provoke change. Reasonable people may not see the purpose in sailing oceans or attempting to fly. “If it was good enough for our grandparents,” they begin their arguments.

We need each other: passionate and reasonable, liberal and conservative, doer and thinker ... fill in the blanks.
(c) 2010 by Steve Martaindale