Quote:
Originally Posted by albertlee25  Wow Ilya, you sure write a lot! 
But all my encounters of passions are associated with strong positive feelings for something. (The something can be negative, but it is positive feeling for that negative thing) |
I see. But usually, passion is useless in a sense that it can not be controlled. This is what this thread is about. To control passion we need to go beyond usual, to see the structure of the process. And once we do that, there is no reason why we can't think of unusual sources and applications of passion.
Quote:
|
When someone said he is passionate about jogging, what comes to your mind? Honestly, the only thing that comes to my mind is he loves jogging! If you said he hates jogging, it just doesn't sound right! (I did not say it is wrong, just does not sound right)
|
That is a language thing. Yes, we use different words. If someone hates jogging we would say that he's got "strong feelings".
I do not think that this difference in words correctly describes the difference (or lack of difference) of mental processes that go behind the scenes.
I think in Steve's terms it will be similar to lightworkers or darkworkers. You get the results but in two different ways.
You can reach the same level of emotional intensity either with love or with hate. There is a word for it if it is achieved by love, but no word comes to my mind straight away for the other situation. But high emotional intesity is there for us to use, whether we have a word for it or not. Why not use passion for convenience?
By the way. Love and hate are the pair of primary states. They are perceived as opposites with a broad spectrum of states between them. But these states have a peculiar property. If we push one to the extreme, it suddenly and quickly switches to it's opposite. This is a proverbial thin line between love and hate.