What is your mission?
In a bad poem, the two words of the title of this post might be thought to rhyme. While I would not try to force that onto any of my verse, I do think the two terms go hand in hand.
I’ve often mentioned how, when meeting students at college campus recruiting events, I’d ask what they were interested in. They usually said they didn’t know. So I’d come at it from another angle and ask, “What are you passionate about?” Unfortunately, that answer was almost always the same as the first (if not just an uncomfortable silence and sideways glances appeared instead).
I’ve never been passionless. As a kid, I was in love with Science, and filled notebooks with clippings and drawings and scientific facts. When Science left me (prompted by high school freshman biology and an uninspiring teacher), I found Art and Literature, and they consumed me. Then I discovered Theatre, and that became my life.
My mission has always been the betterment of humankind, whether through an understanding of Science or a participation in the Arts. And my passion for those studies has been the fuel for that mission. Even in retirement, I still seek to create, through theatre productions and films. A true passion never dies, and I hope that my mission continues to be inspired by it.
MUSOFYR 