Bizarre Passions

It's fascinating what incites passion in we humans.

Yesterday, C and I met back at the homestead after work. We had decided we would race to the boatyard to pump the water out of the cabin of the sailboat and duct tape the hole where the rain gets in... again; taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather.

On the way, we chatted with All Things Considered playing softly in the background just under the roar of the 1984 Mercedes Diesel engine. One of my favorite things about Louisville is Louisville Public Media. We have THREE public radio stations. And, they are awesome.

After a minute, C and I fell into a comfortable silence, waiting for a train to pass. Suddenly, we began to wonder what in the hell we were listening to. It didn't become clear what the story was about, or what they were trying to accomplish with it until the whole thing was nearly complete.

All I knew for sure is that people were up in arms, passionately defending throwing bread in the water somewhere in Pennsylvania. This was accompanied by a song about the fish and the bread by Tim Fite.

It was a bizarre report both in format and content, and it made me think deeply about the nature of our passions and how simple things can incite real rage. Passion for a tradition of littering, instead of a passion for peace or environmental consciousness. Or universal health care. Or human rights. Interesting.

Here's to the hope of 2009 being a better year for channeling our energy toward real, positive change.