"You have to be always drunk. That’s all there is to it—it’s the only way. So as not to feel the horrible burden of time that breaks your back and bends you to the earth, you have to be continually drunk.
But on what? Wine, poetry or virtue, as you wish. But be drunk." -- Charles Baudelaire
The topic of passion is so subjective to the person feeling it, I am afraid that it can never be confined in 26 letters. I am sitting at my desk, drinking extremely mediocre coffee, waiting for my shift to end, and planning the weekend in the ever-present Google Calendar tab on my computer, but none of these things are the reason I got out of bed today. I believe I am one of the lucky ones who found my drunkenness early, and, no, I am not talking about the pink Merlot in the fridge or the 24-pack of beer that seems to be a constant on a college campus.
Time can be hindering. It can be painfully slow and extremely fast all at once. The clock dictates when we wake, where we go, what we do, and all the many things in between. When we find virtue in something that becomes so empowering, the round, numbered tyrant on the wall becomes irrelevant.
I believe there are a lot of people who doubt me. When I talk of my drunkenness, I often get looks of pity, as if to say, "We know you will not make it, but we applaud you for trying." Maybe these people have not found the same passion I have found. To these people I will say two things:
1. Keep looking.
Every one is capable of finding their passion and fostering it. Everyone has this depth within them that pushes them out of bed each morning, and it is far more than a college class or doctor's appointment dragging them away from warm covers and too many pillows. Life is a 100-year-long adventure (if we are lucky) and we have lived but a fraction of it. There is no rush to find what you are passionate about, or to let it find you. When it bumps into you on a crowded street, you will know its face and laugh at all the signs you missed along the way. You can have many passions -- writing poetry, planning weddings, taking pictures of sunsets in incredible light--but there is one far greater than all others. This is where you will find drunkenness. This is where you will find purpose and realize why you have been getting out of bed all along. This will send you into the state of dizziness and laughter and being completely consumed by the thought of pursuing your passion. Life is too extraordinary to live it in a state of boredom; you should always pursue what makes you drunk.
2. Watch me.
You are capable of finding your passion, even if it takes years to surface. There is a drunkenness waiting for you, pushing you out of your bed and onto your feet every morning. Imagine what it can do when you actually discover it. Watch me as I continue in my drunkenness.
