Submission of Reflection Paper 3

Gage A. Rush                                                  August 11, 2015

                    Reflection Paper 3

                          My Passion

I am a man of many passions. In some ways the one thing people view me through nowadays is how I can be passionate about things when moments ago I would have otherwise been quiet and withdrawn.

What is my passion? Well, it actually is an omni-passion. I love life and the variety it offers. Good experiences, bad experiences, all are part and parcel of life. That's not to say I don't mind bad things happening to me, but rather that, when I look back at all that has happened I accept the good as well as the bad.

From a young age I loved to read, and that was before I started exploring new forms of literature in my early teens. I am a voracious consumer of books and information. My mind is constantly whirring with new ideas, theories, and musings even during those times I seem quiet.

I am a man of great empathy. I can strongly feel the sorrow and tension in the air when bad things happen. I can see the world changing around me and take pride that I am living through what may one day be momentous history.

Underneath my cold subdued shell is a fire that burns fierce and hot, and at times almost uncontrollable. Channeling that fire into useful activities and projects is my ongoing challenge in life.

I feel that this is truly what makes a leader, or rather what constituted the seed of what may one day be a leader. Knowledge alone does not a leader make. Passion and drive can make peasants into great generals, weaklings into mighty kings. I believe greatly in the human spirit, whatever form it may take. Man's spirit is capable of nightmarish atrocities, but also the most miraculous acts of benevolence and progress.

I am utterly loyal to my family and do my utmost to be there for my closest friends. I am a man of honor, but I am also a man of practicality. Practical honor is what guides me and my actions.

I am passionate about my growth as a person. I now accept my faults, because in knowing them, I can conquer them. Change and improvement can only begin when you are critical of yourself.

I am a man of few words at times, because I say what I need to say, straight to the point. I am a man of too many words at times as well, because there are times that there is not enough time to say what needs to be said. But what matters is that when I need to, I can pour my heart, my inner fire out.

But even just possessing passion is not enough. I must make use of it if it is to be of any value. My anger, my joy, sorrows, all can be harnessed to drive me forward and to prop me up whenever I stumble and fall.

Be inspired, and inspire others. The human spirit is an all-conquering force if only we'd realize just how strong we can truly be.

That is my motto. My passion. 3