Freedom, Passion, and Wilfred Brimley

"Freedom!"

You can't forget that scene from Braveheart when Mel Gibson (as William Wallace), hung, racked, strapped onto the cross, and mutilated, allowed the opportunity to pledge allegiance to the English King and alleviate the agony and torture he's been subject to - and then he screams, "FREEDOM!"

That's passion!  So passionate for his country, his people, and their freedom that he gave everything he had, even his very life.  Passion to fight until the end for a purpose that's good and worthy.



There are plenty of things to be passionate about.  William Wallace was passionate about Scotland's freedom from oppression and tyranny.  Martin Luther King was passionate about racial justice.  Wilfred Brimley is passionate about Quaker Oats - "It's the right thing to do and a tasty way to do it!" (sorry, just had to throw that one in there!)

So what are you passionate about?  What wakes you up in the middle of the night, or drives you out of bed in the morning?  What creeps into your thoughts throughout the day, wishing that you had an answer?

For me, it's the plight of orphans worldwide.  My grandfather was an orphan in the early 1900's in Connecticut, but that's not why I'm so passionate.  My wife and I adopted a daughter from Russia, and that adds to the passion.  But truly for me, it's the fact that I've visited and worked in multiple orphanages in Ukraine and Russia for the last 7 years.  I've felt the cold temperatures, strained to see in the darkened corridors, and played with and talked to hundreds of kids who, through no fault of their own, are left in institutionalized housing.  And most of all, I've seen the hopelessness that their environment breeds, and the way a little bit of love and caring can change lives.

So what's your passion?  Maybe it's orphans like me.  Or maybe it's fighting cancer, standing up for mental disabilities, homelessness, or poverty.  It could be unfair treatment of animals or arts in education, or alternative education options.  Whatever your passion, whatever your cause, are you ready to make a difference?

If so, let's begin a discussion right here and right now.  Stick with me on this blog, and we'll talk about how you can take that passion and make a difference - now and forever.  Let's take your passion for your cause, and toss it into the lake of caring and let's see where the ripples go.  Maybe your passion will turn into a movement.  Maybe it will become a paradigm.  And just maybe... it will change the world.

What's your passion?

Comment back and let me know.  And let's change the world together.