Passion for Self

By Alaira Fleming, High School Student

An essay hosted at PhilosophyClassics.com

Life is not just living up to the expectations of others; we need to find a passion for self. This passion is the way that one comes alive. It is when one aches to do that which they cannot live without; the one thing that when nothing is being thought of, it is that they are thinking. Take control and be the driver of your own existence.
Throughout life we see that people continue to live as they did in previous times, following others, not realizing that the most important thing in life is to live it for themselves, and not for society or the pleasures of other people. The individual has their own unique vocation that they need to acquire. Kierkegaard stated that, "I must find a truth that is true for me...the idea for which I can live or die." Personal experiences and finding the convictions of oneself are most essential in arriving at the truth that they wish to find for themselves.
Too many times people conform without even realizing what it is they are conforming to. They spend so much time trying to find the "correct" way to live that they stop living. We have the freedom to choose to either be our self, or be what others see us as and we must know that even doing nothing is a choice. It is a beautiful thing that we can create our own nature, or own essence of life. Most people do not even realize what a great and powerful opportunity that is. Unfortunately, most of us remain children our entire lives; greedy and easily moved to do what we are told in order to please others. We spend our lives wanting more and more without realizing that the things that we want more of are things that will tear our lives apart; the things that in the end will not make us any happier than we were before we had them.
Society tells us that money and power are the tools of a good life and the success of a person. But the quality of the life of a person is what should matter, not the Quantity of what he may have.
Ralph Waldo Emerson stated, "Success- To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people, and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. That is to have succeeded." How many people would be considered successful by this definition? This statement that Ralph Waldo Emerson made implies that those to be considered successful are those that had enough passion for self that they did what they knew they could not live one day without. They lived their lives to the fullest according to their capabilities.
Even the most powerful men in society cannot say that they made the world "better"; many of them simply live. When did we lose the importance of family and life, and when did money become the thing to live and die for? Donald Trump, for example, has built great buildings and made millions of dollars. It is because of this that he is thought to be successful, yet he cannot keep a marriage. Life is quite simple; make your life the source of continuing value to make the very most of whatever you have.
People do not see this simplicity. If we continue in this manner of living for the expectations of others we will be destroying creation as we know it. We are living in such a way that we are putting an end to us. If all we are about is being first, that there will be nothing good of worthy to pass on. The whole thing is going to come to and end with us. The way life goes depends entirely on how we live the moments and hours that are ours right now in this day.
There are certain aspects of life that are innate and always will be until the end of time. It is the question of ethics; good and bad, right and wrong. Immanuel Kant stated that there are a few questions that everyone asks pertaining to ethics. Two of which being what makes a "good" person and what to do when "hard" cases come along; cases that are different for any given situation. In both of these situations people only care about what the "correct" answer may be, instead of finding their own way. People put too much emphasis of the end, and once they do that, they have stopped living. How you get to the end is the whole point because it is that which you do that will bring you whatever end you deserve. It is finding your passion for self through LIVING this life; THAT makes it all worth while.
Unfortunately we have in our mind that there is no point, no real existence. Hegel stated in his Philosophy of Nature, "The individual body is matter. All this individuality is a shape, diversity of features, and a process in which shape dissolves..." According to this statement nothing really matters, we just simply have bodies with acids and bases, nothing more or less. But if this is the case, then what are we doing? If all we are is matter, then not even trying to live up to the expectations of others can give us a passion for self. This surely cannot be possible or right.
We define ourselves and our individuality by living. We all have a persona about us that is our protection from the outside world. This persona needs to be found in order to find our passion. Jung said, "Acceptance of oneself is the essence of the moral problem and the acid test of one's whole outlook on life."
What is possible this moment goes beyond what has been possible in the past. It is not limited to the easy or convenient. The reason why many feel a lack of passion for self is because it all seems very ordinary, but even in this moment people are experiencing the wonder of life. Do not be afraid to find yourself, or to truly know yourself. Find passion so that you can look at the man in the mirror, know who he is, and know that he lived his life.
Search for your own passion; your own direction regardless of parents, friends, teachers, or other influential persons around you. Make your own trail and pave it with your own passion. Make the world better than it was before you came into it.
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