Only a handful of weeks into college, I found myself at a social gathering talking to some stranger.

It was the type of atmosphere where you gotta go up and just introduce yourself to other random new students and hopefully make a couple acquaintances.

I started off with the class college small talk: name, major, where I am from. Only 5% of the time does any of the information become relevant or spark any interest.

After the conversation cleared that hurdle and we started to dig into other mind-numbing topics, hoping to find something in common.

Only then did I realize that this conversation was going nowhere. I probed every part of the personality, searching for some passion or interested that lied underneath this person that I met just minutes before.

In the midst of trying to find some hobby or interest this person had, one thing they said capped it all off. “Omg. I know I am boring."

So I slowly detached myself from the scene and made my way over to some friends that I had known from before.

All that is just a cute little anecdote to introduce my main point. Boring people. They’re not for me.

This isn’t because I view myself as the pinnacle of what an interesting person, nor do I have some preconceived notion of what I define as what is interesting.

However, I crave passion. Particularly, passionate people.

When someone is passionate about something, and I mean really passionate, it shows. They are excited to talk about it. In fact, they can’t help but talk about it.

It’s what makes them wake up in the morning and strive for something to better themselves and the world around them. Passion is what makes each person human and unique.

When one surrounds themselves with passionate people, they learn. Not just about whatever random thing one particular person enjoys. But about different perspectives, lessons, ideas, and skills that shape and mold one into a more rounded and thoughtful person.

Not having passion defies any sense of individualism. How can one be much more than a cardboard cutout of an individual if they have nothing that brings them a sense purpose or novelty to this world.

Now when I meet people who seemingly have no desire to express passion, I have a hard time having any significant interactions with them.

So go pursue something. Be passionate. Whether it’s painting, quilting, cooking, bobsledding, singing, or soap carving, go something that you find value or significance in.

Once finding that thing that gives you a sense of pride and enjoyment, seek after it with full-throttle. We are only what our passions and pursuits express us as, and to strive for that is what makes each and every one of us human.