In this Tedx talk, Eunice Hii describes how she was leading others to follow their passions, when she read an article in the Harvard Business Review, which led her to seriously question what she was doing.
Hii, who is part of generation Y (born between 1983 - 2000), was shocked to read that she was part of "worst generation ever." Why? Well, according to the author of the article, Generation Y is lazy, pampered and entitled. Yes, entitled because this generation has been repeatedly told to follow their passions.
I will interject here. As an educator, I have worked closely with generation Y. Students who want to get ahead seem to intuitively know that they will have to work hard. In my experience, this is true no matter what generation one was born into. I know people my age (boomers) who have entitlement issues.
When Hii read this article, she had already committed years to a project called the Passion Project, which she designed with another university student. The philosophy behind the Passion Project was getting people to follow what they are passionate about, while making a difference in the community.
As she reflected seriously upon this article, Hii came to a logical conclusion: Following one's passion and entitlement are two different things. They are "mutually exclusive." She believes that Generation Y "can follow their passions and become a better generation."
Furthermore, Hii believes that Generation Y can follow their passions, while working hard, and at the same time, they must understand that their passions may not be their jobs.
While this statement seems nonsensical, I actually agree, because I think we have a rough idea of what our passions are, and sometimes we "know" something in our hearts before we know it in our heads.
Hii speaks about Julia Child, the legendary chef, who brought French cuisine to America. Child did not learn to cook or recognize her passion for cooking until she was in her mid-forties, and is probably an example of someone who followed her passions without knowing exactly what they were.
"We can follow our passions but we have to remember that passion is a privilege," states Hii.
I could not agree more with the statement. We have a lot to be thankful for because we are not living in a developing country, trying just to survive. When our needs for food, clothing, shelter, and safety our met, we can step out into the world and make a difference if we choose.
Hii believes that "it doesn't mean anything to follow our passions if it isn't in the service of others."
While I immensely respect the notion of serving others, I am not sure that it is always necessary when following one's passions. When I think of people who are artists, writers or musicians, I think of them practising their craft while they alone, not knowing how the rest of the world receive it when they are ready to share it. Any work of art is a labour of love. Sometimes, artists need time to work on what they love before sharing their creations. I suppose this true for all types of studying.
Hii quotes theologian Frederick Buechner saying that, "Your vocation is where your passions meet. the world's greatest needs."
Maybe...The idea is rather lofty... something to hope for or the best possible outcome that one finds when considering their passions and their communities needs.
When all is said and done, I suppose we should always be mindful of how following our passions impact the communities that we live in. We should understand that there are different ways of "serving" and that we are all part of a great mosaic.
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