Beyond the Clouds

Sometimes I think passion is dangerous, other times I think it's vital . . .literally vital in meaning life giving. Maybe my dis-ease with passion has not so much to do with passion as it does with other things. It might be that the person is passionate about something and that in itself is fine and so I don't think 'being passionate about something' is dangerous. Passion fills us with energy but that isn't to say that this energy will determine how we act and behave towards others. It doesn't dictate how we relate to the world around us. So, having ruled out passion as the 'dangerous' or 'scary' element what is it that makes me feel so uncomfortable? Might it be the lack of com-passion? Passion in itself is fine, but if one can't be 'with another person's suffering/passion' then it spirals out of control?

I suppose the question is how can we move from passion to compassion? How can we act more kindly and caring to our neighbours, our enemies, our nearest and dearest? Do passions get in the way? Is it possible for us to use our passions to make us more compassionate towards others? Is there a link? I think for me, my sense of religion or spirituality is that it is about finding the compassionate ground and being grounded in such virtues as generosity, kindness, joy, patience, and ethics.