Often we like to think that it’s more laudable to see someone putting in a lot of effort into something than someone who’s naturally good at it but has a bad attitude about it. Passion is something is impossible to have without effort. You can show effort without having a passion for what you’re doing, but if you’re passionate about something it’s a given that you’ll show effort in it, because in the end it’s something that you love and do with zeal.

As time passed, I found that it’s much more easier for me to connect with people when I see them having a passion for something. Of course, you can easily interact and make conversation, but I appreciate when someone can openly show what their passions are. After all, what drives you in life is a lot of what makes you up as an individual.

And many people find a lot of hobbies or preferences shameful, but it shouldn’t be that way. I think that someone talking about and showing off what they love is admirable to see. It shows that you can care about something so much that you personally choose to take out your time to spend on developing and growing that passion, be it dancing, sports, or even something as simple as watching anime.

Now I also understand that many times we also make judgement of a person’s passion because maybe they’re not the best at it, but that shouldn’t matter. If they’re showing that they truly care, then they’re continuing to show the effort behind it. People should be able to like what they like because, really, who is it harming?

My senior quote from high school was, “No matter what anyone says, passion never lies.” I still stand by that statement. Passion cannot be faked (I suppose some might argue with me on the technicality one, but I personally do not think so) and we should see it as admirable, not shameful, regardless of what it is.