PASSION is another life value on the WHSP3R Wheel.
Until very recently I considered PASSION to include only so-called “positive” emotions, such as joy or exhileration. Then three influences thankfully converged to convince me otherwise.
My partner Terrie had actually been encouraging me for some time to embrace all of my feelings–whether sadness, anger, fear or joy. In fact, part of my own journey of personal growth has been my struggle to be fully compassionate toward others when they are feeling the so-called “negative” emotions like sadness or anger. I have come to realize that my inability to fully embrace “negative” emotions results from my experience with my mother as a child.
The second teacher who has helped me see the full spectrum of PASSION is one of my best friends of 30+ years. He and I have been discussing PASSION as part of our regular conversations for some time now. When we began these discussions, my friend rather consistently identified so-called “negative” emotions as part of his experience of PASSION. I had a very difficult time accepting this, and I kept insisting that we focus on the so-called “positive” emotions as examples of PASSION.
Finally, I recently came across a wonderful little book called The Power of a Broken-Open Heart by Julie Interrante, who was a hospital chaplain for many years. Julie writes, “It is important to understand that…all feelings are necessary and are neither good nor bad. Fully experiencing our feelings is what breaks open our hearts, allowing us to engage fully in life, healing our inner wounds…”
So, now I understand that PASSION is simply feeling our emotions–all of them–deeply and fully. I am grateful to my partner Terrie, to my good friend and to Julie Interrante for guiding me toward this profound realization.
