Deep conversation with someone today about what inspires him led me to considering the idea of passion. There are many folks who say they are passionate about climbing or another particular sport, or perhaps it is dance or art. I considered what am I passionate about? The question became even more interesting when I decided to write to sift through my thoughts on passion. 

The latin root of the word passion is pati which means to suffer, or to endure. The willingness to persist despite the suffering is the expression of passion. Passion is also defined as 'an intense emotion compelling action.' If you consider both these ideas as true, passion is not comfortable. It is not necessarily inspiring. It requires endurance of will and determination. It requires suffering.

The real question then is what am I willing to suffer to achieve some outcome. It is an interesting question. I believe there are degrees of passion. At one time I was so passionate about climbing, testing climbers, coaching, I was willing to live in a car and make very little money to climb and be in the company of other great climbers. 

The evidence is available to each person if they take a moment to reflect on where they have been most uncomfortable and yet were willing to be uncomfortable in the pursuit of some goal. Taking a more holistic perspective of one's choices also illustrates which passions required more discomfort and thus had greater rewards. For example, there can be a goal to get on the podium at a particular competition requiring a great deal of training and development, all of which - if done right - is uncomfortable. And there can be simultaneously the goal of academic achievement requiring long study sessions, going to class, and doing the work. Both require time and attention. Both may require discomfort, or suffering to achieve. The one you are willing to endure more for is the one you are more passionate about. 

The passionate life is not an easy life full of joy and bliss. The passionate life is full of purpose and discomfort. Purpose is what gives life meaning. The idea that we can live quietly and contentedly is a challenge. At least in North America we are breed on the idea of productivity.  Academic diligence is born for the end result of a good paying job and solid career. Sports are not for fun, sports are for winning or performance gains. Even the practice of Yoga in North America became about the performance, not the true nature of connecting mind, body, and breath.

When we are successful - when we have endured enough, we will have all we want and then we hope that some part of us will feel fulfilled. But the part will forever be empty if what we pursue is not something that gives us fulfillment or aligns with our values. This is where many make the mistake of enduring for some degree of wealth or recognition that in the end doesn't make one ever feel satisfied. Or working out of alignment with what one values can lead to incongruence in feelings and satisfaction. 

So let this post challenge you...
Where are you willing to endure uncomfortable feelings for some defined outcome?
What gives you a sense of fulfillment?
What do you value?
Consider all three questions because through the search for the answers you might just narrow down what matters most for you to pursue.

The government could supply anyone wanting to go into the woods with training on how to fight fires and the necessary fire fighting equipment to fight a fire in the woods. This engineered control would be an expensive choice and one that requires time and money to implement. 

Administrative controls include rules like, "No smoking in the woods, no campfires, no fireworks." Administrative controls leave the responsibility for compliance on the person being exposed to the risk. Given that folks do tend to eat foods they shouldn't, drink when they shouldn't, choose to not exercise when they should, park in no parking areas, vandalize, and dump garbage where they shouldn't, I do not have a lot of faith in the power of rules and morality.

The last and least effective means of protecting someone is to wear personal protective equipment. The exposure to the hazard is present and you get a heat resistant and burn resistant clothing. 

It is the government's job to establish the controls when all Nova Scotians are facing the same hazards. In 2020 we faced Covid. In 2025 we are facing the extreme risk of forest fire. We saw the devastation of similar fire conditions just a few years ago which resulted in damage to hundreds of homes. We can argue about how we got here with climate change, but that isn't going to remove or treat the current situation NOW.

Freedom is described as the power to act, think, and speak without restraint. One can always think without restraint, but then thoughts do not cause harm to others. With the government's choice to eliminate Nova Scotians from being in the woods, Nova Scotians actions are being constrained, our freedoms are being infringed upon, I agree. However...

Personal freedom must be tempered with responsibility and morality.

Personal responsibility is something very few westerners want to accept. It is easier to blame the education system than to consider what responsibility we take for our education. It is easier to blame health care than to take responsibility for our own preventative health. It is easier to blame our boss than to face the responsibility of looking for a different job.

Perhaps everyone in Nova Scotia should be allowed in the woods, but what responsibilities are Nova Scotians collectively willing to accept for that freedom?

• Everyone must be trained on how to fight a fire and must carry the equipment
• More money in taxes for fire fighting, climate change, and higher insurance costs
• Six figure, seven figure fines for anyone causing a fire
• Insurance companies are not responsible to cover damages that are not acts of God
• Provide shelter to the folks who become homeless during a fire evacuation 
• Folks who are homeless are provided housing by those with homes

I don't know about you, but I would rather refrain from walking in the woods rather than any of those options mentioned above. My paddle board and the beach are looking pretty good today.

I meandered through blueberry fields picking berries last week and listened to a young child say, "I eat the berries here because they are free. You only have to pay for them if you put them in the box." Those blueberries are not free. The producer is charging everyone a little more to cover their losses. Just like insurance companies will charge all of us more if there are fires destroying homes this year. Our actions have consequences far beyond the action.

Our access to the wilderness is a privilege, not a right. What are you willing to pay for it?