“Passion (from the Greek verb πασχω meaning to suffer) is a very strong feeling about a person or thing. Passion is an intense emotion, a compelling enthusiasm or desire for something.” (Wikipedia)
I cannot remember a time that I have witnessed more passion than for the 2015 Canadian federal election and for the Toronto Blue Jays. People have increasingly come out of hiding over the 78 days preceding “The Election” with their distaste and pure hatred for Stephen Harper. This passion is not necessarily in favour of one party however the disfavour of another.
My political beliefs do not go much beyond the colour of each political party so I may not be a qualified source on the subject however I am an avid user of social media and I got overwhelmed with the intense desire for failure.
In my opinion, this is very Un-Canadian. If you are passionate about supporting your party of choice, by all means display this passion in a positive way! I believe the disastrous result for NDP was a direct result in focusing on dethroning Stephen Harper rather than solidifying its own beliefs and image.
As someone who knows very little about politics, your words would have spoken louder and clearer to me if you supported your party rather than bashed another; if you told me why I should have voted for your party instead of anything but Conservative (ABC). Yet, throughout this election I heard less about what other parties will bring to the Canadian table and more of how Stephen Harper’s government burned that table down.
That being said, I did vote in this “historical” election. I didn’t vote because Twitter told me to “vote strategically”, I didn’t join the “Stephen Harper’s Going Away Party” event on Facebook, and I didn’t even vote for Stephen Harper. But I didn’t vote against Harper, I voted for the party that I believe in the most and I will stand by my vote.
My favourite thing about passion is that the word passion itself does not hold a positive or negative emotion; rather passion is used to describe both. As in the case of The Election, the negative use of the word passion was clear: “a very strong feeling about a person”. Now on the other hand, passion is bringing Canada together the best way we know how: sports!
Although mostly a hockey fan, I am excited (read passionate) for the Toronto Blue Jays. At the All-Star break it was expected the Jays will miss the playoffs for another record-setting season. At sub-.500 there was nothing to be passionate about. Enter David Price, Troy Tulowitzki, and Ben Revere. The Toronto Blue Jays finish the season atop the AL East standings and second in the American League.
Josh Donaldson is expected to be the MVP as chants throughout Rogers Centre for the last 2 months of the regular season wouldn’t let you forget. M-V-P! Jose Bautista’s astonishing 3-run home run in the 7th inning of the ALDS was nothing short of miraculous. I’d vote for Bautista as PM in a heartbeat!
This form of passion I can get behind. This is the passion that should fuel a country. I wish the hashtag #ComeTogether was used for not only the Toronto Blue Jays but also the 2015 Canadian Federal Election.
I did not watch the election results on TV last night, instead I watched the Blue Jays defeat the Royals 11-8 because I prefer to be passionate about the success of one than the failure of another.
The Orng 