Anson's Random Dumps #10

DISCLAIMER: Neither am I affiliated with any person in below-mentioned student council, nor were I given benefits to advertise for them. This is no advertisement. Stance at your own discretion.

This is the tenth entry to my journal series, formally named Anson’s Random Dumps. WOOOOOOOOO!

Anyways, by looking at proposed student council cabinets of my school, I came across a word, “zealous”. One would say this word means “passionate”, or “enthusiastic”. Which, you’d not be wrong, but here at Anson’s Random Dumps, I’d like to present a more proper meaning – “having or showing zeal”.

What is zeal? Not exactly passion. To quote the Google dictionary, passion is a “strong and barely controllable emotion”. Zeal? It is “great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective”.

We’ve definitely all been passionate about something. Most probably hobbies, like an instrument, or a skill. It’s a positive thing to have passion. It motivates you to do better.

Zeal, on the other hand? It’s a different kind of passion. While passion doesn’t necessarily have a goal in sight, zeal has one. You pursue a cause or an objective.

Taking myself as an example, I was zealous in completing my first program. I was motivated, I was energized. I wanted to do this program well. And right now, I’m zealous. I want to compose my first piece of good music. I want to learn all the music theory well, in order to make good music. I want to excel.

Zeal can be argued to be stronger than passion. Having a goal in sight always pushes people ever so further. You always think about “$x$ miles until the goal”. Which keeps on encouraging and encouraging you. But what happens when you’re at the goal?

Zeal expires. Your great energy and enthusiasm die down. After all, you’ve pursued your cause/ objective!

Passion doesn’t expire. You keep striving. It doesn’t wear off because you’ve achieved something. If anything, it strengthens.

Be zealous. But also, be passionate. Know the difference.

Or don’t. Some dictionaries define “zeal” to be “passion” anyway. Language is subjective at its core, so take your pick.

Anson