The Power of Passion

The other day I was watching a movie titled ‘Arthur’s Hallowed Ground’, a classic British movie from the early 80’s, on the ‘World Movies’ channel. The main protagonist of this movie, as you may have guessed from the title, is an old gentleman by the name of Arthur, who has been shown to be working as a curator on a cricket ground somewhere in London. The astonishing thing, though, is that he has been doing this job all on his own for, believe it or not, the past 45 years!!

As the years pass, things change and the committee members who run the club, bring on-board a businessman to change the dwindling fortunes of the club and help them make some money. This businessman wants to invest a large sum of money into spectator welfare, but faces stiff opposition from Arthur, who insists that he needs the money to buy a new grass cutter for the ground. Every effort from the business man to raise some money is resisted by Arthur. He even sets up a tent next to the pitch and spends the entire night there, when he learns that the businessman may have hired hooligans to rough-up the pitch.

Now, let me not get into the details of the story, but talk about the main idea presented in the plot i.e Arthur’s passion towards the ground. Now, I know this is just a movie and the thought showcased here is purely fictional, but imagine doing the very same thing each and every day, all alone, for 45 years - quite hard to believe I say.

I think the clue is to be passionate about whatever you do and all the other intricacies like time taken, money earned etc would cease to bother you. There will always be a smile on your face irrespective of the outcome and you will not care about the years spent to get to your eventual goal.

I was seeing an interview of some famous CEO and he proudly said, “If you wear your passion to work daily, you are leaving success with no choice, but to follow you.”

This and many other statements and articles have been presented where “following ones’ passion” has lead individuals to great glory in terms of wealth and well-being.

There have also been crazy and extreme tales of passion, look for example at the life of one Mr. Kurt Cobain, who decided to end his life because he felt his passion towards music had died, stating that “It’s better to burn out rather than fade away”

There are many such extreme cases and some, where lady luck has played a major role, but we must take out the positives from all this and follow suit. So, ask yourself, “Are you passionate enough about what you are doing?” If you passion doesn’t help you earn money, make it into a hobby and you will create a much needed distraction from your daily routine.

Let me end this blog by telling you what happens towards the end of the story in the movie. Arthur finally finds an assistant who is equally passionate about the ground – a young man named Henry, and it is after this happens, that Arthur finally decides to take a much needed vacation with his wife; his first vacation after 45 years!!