“Passion makes most psychiatrists nervous” – Joseph Cmpbell

Hi William

My suspension is that like Joy, Passion isn’t something one seeks as if it can be grasped but a experience that one might be surprised by in the moment.

The metaphor of the crossroads suggests the duality of choice of either or and that one path would be better then the other. If only we could know which one. (leading to anxiety and fear)  Such measuring suggestive of the future moment when you will look back on the past and wonder if only or what might have been if I turned left instead of right, or maybe turned 180 or some other degree of a turn? It is in this moment that we imagine the future moment where we think back on the past moment where we pondered the notion of the crossroads through the eyes of a possible regret that we chose wrong.

The crossroads, I think implies a assumption that if we could just figure out all the angles and control them, bend them to our will (ego) as we imagine things could be ‘if only’ we make all the right choices… and then just maybe they will lead to this thing call passion. The crossroads were the past is always gone, the present never stays and the future never comes –   We are undone before we begin when what we are looking for is something we already have/are but do not see.

I like what Joseph Campbell had to say when you talked about Bliss (satcitananda) – “if you do follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in your field of bliss, and they open doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.”

Something I have learned over time is that whatever choices you make, nothing you learn is waisted and will most likely lead you down paths you never imagined. Follow your heart, your ‘satcitananda’ with passion as best you can and enjoy the ride. You are the answer to your question.  Dance

“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance. To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don’t grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown.” Alan Watts

Hi William,

You are a 2nd year full-time computer science college student with a GPA that “isn’t bad”. My advice is to stick it out and finish the degree in spite of your lack of passion for the field. You’re right, the money is good but also there are a lot of jobs. Get the degree and your options will  open up. What you’re learning in school may be very different from what you potentially would be doing in the workforce. You haven’t yet been exposed to all that’s out there in this field. In other words, you don’t know what you don’t know! As you make your way through school start thinking about an industry that excites you. Good computer scientists are needed in just about every industry. Look for interesting companies with good benefits and with managers who nurture their employees’ growth and want them to be happy. So many opportunities can surface from within any organization. The computer science degree will get you inside the door at a great starting salary, and once inside, search for your passion. Maybe you’ll decide that computer science isn’t it (or maybe you’ll decide that it is), but once you’re inside a good company, get around, meet people, make friends, find out what inspires you, and go for it!

B