AboutLaura Expertise I can help with questions about research projects, literature, and writing for middle school and high school. I can also help with on-line resources and integration of technology in learning.
Experience I am a certified library media specialist and language arts teacher.
Education/Credentials MEd Instructional Technolgy- 1999 Arkansas Tech University
BA English- 1995 University of Central Arkansas
Expert: Laura Date: 4/12/2005 Subject: meaning of "passionate"
Question Hi Laura,
This is all about the word "passionate" and its usage. I hope you dont mind me asking this kind of weird question.(just for your info... i am not good at english and its usage)
Well, I had an arguement with one of my medical friends. He says he is passionate about medicine but i argued that he was not.
I believe passionate means something which we like overwhelmingly, about which we think all the time, is something which makes us feel complete even though nothing else remains for us in our life, which would be one of our hobbies.... etc..etc.
My friend says that he is passionate about medicine. But he also says that he feels incomplete without his hobbies of reading novels, gym, spending time with friends, etc.. ect.
I too accept that life is incomplete without other activities or hobbies. But, what i believe is, if one person is passionate about some topic, he will be interested only in and around that topic. He will have hobbies, but many of them rotate around that topic only. He may read novels, but something related to medicine... like the medical detective novels or something like that. He may go to gym, but will be well aware of the exercises and their effects, or will be well aware of the muscles involved in a certain exercise or something like that. But, none of the things are like what i have described above. My friend studys medicine subjects, but only during exams time. He reads novles but, something not related to medicine. He goes to gym but, is not aware of the muscles involved in a certain exercise.He spends most of his free time in other activities which are in no way related to medicine. Do you think you could call this kind of attitude as"passionate" about medicine..?
i just wanted to know what you think? The question here is what exactly "passionate" means and how one would deal with what he is passionate about. hope you understood my question.
Hoping to get a reply from you soon.
Thanks.
Srini.
Answer Hi Srini,
According to Dictionary.com (which is a pretty good site, by the way) pas·sion·ate is an adjective meaning:
1 Capable of, having, or dominated by powerful emotions: a family of passionate personalities.
2 Wrathful by temperament; choleric.
3 Marked by strong sexual desire; amorous or lustful.
4 Showing or expressing strong emotion; ardent: a passionate speech against injustice.
5 Arising from or marked by passion: a teacher who is passionate about her subject
So I think that someone can be passionate about something without spending every waking second thinking about that thing. One can be passionate about a lover and still think about one's career.
If something dominates every waking moment, I would call that more of an obsession than a passion.
