Chapter Nine. Blind Passion
When ignited, passion is a wild and untamed force. That’s why following your passions isn’t always good advice. We’ve all witnessed the train wreck when someone blindly followed their passions and it wrecked their career and hurt both family and friends. Benjamin Franklin called it out years ago: “If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.”
The passion, success, and creativity of people like Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, and Pablo Picasso are impossible to overstate. Who they were and what they did transcends the genre that they represent. Their influence is relevant not only to computing, science, and art, but to anyone who wants to contribute in the highest way. For many, they have become archetypes for living a more creative life, yet their passion wasn’t without its blind spots.
Mind Before Heart
Steve Jobs was a brilliant rule breaker who cared deeply about making his mark. His passion was like high-octane fuel. He didn’t just think differently, he acted differently. When it came to bringing innovation to this world, such rule-breaking made the world a better place. For Jobs, the normal rules didn’t apply. He was a force to be reckoned with, and sometimes this force was good and other times it was cruel. Consider how he consistently parked in handicap parking spots without an ounce of shame. Dig around a bit and you’ll find other examples similar to this. Jobs did break the rules, but often it was at the expense of people who got in the way. He was creative in many ways, but in other ways he wasn’t exactly a saint. Too often for the sake of inspiration, we oversimplify the past.
Even Einstein, “the most intelligent mind of his time,” wasn’t free of stupid mistakes. When his marriage to Mileva was falling apart, he wrote her a letter declaring a list of conditions that she must fulfill for the marriage to stay intact. Here’s a brief sample of what he wrote: “1) You will not expect any intimacy from me, nor will you reproach me in any way. 2) You will stop talking to me if I request it. 3) You will leave my bedroom or study immediately without protest if I request it.” Einstein may have been smart, but writing that letter was just plain dumb.
Then there is Picasso, one of the most popular guys in this group. His art is a gift to humanity, that cannot be denied. Yet Picasso didn’t exactly treat women in the most dignified way. He once said, “For me there are only two kinds of women, goddesses and doormats.” Picasso was married twice and had numerous love affairs throughout his life. His relationships were all over the map—one of his lovers was 40 years younger and underage. Out of the seven women that he stayed with the longest, two killed themselves and two went mad. If Picasso knocked on my front door asking to date one of my daughters, I would get out a baseball bat and tell him to leave.
Jobs, Einstein, and Picasso are some of the most often quoted, referenced, and celebrated people in the creative space. They have been inducted into the creativity Hall of Fame, and their statues are made of gold. So what’s the point? Why bring up the darkness, and does the darkness diminish the light?
The point isn’t to say that we are better than they were. As Abe Lincoln said of his enemies in the South during the Civil War, “Don’t critique: they are just what we would be under similar circumstances.” We are all human and we have no idea how we would have handled life in their shoes. More importantly, indulging in self-righteous judgment doesn’t bring about change, but neither does glossing over the truth.
Honest assessment, humble awareness, and resolute determination to not make the same mistakes, that’s where change is born. We study history to learn from success, failures, and mistakes. That’s why a dishonest view of history isn’t much help. A more realistic view helps you craft our own life, rather than blindly following someone else. Learn from the legends, but ultimately you need to make your own path. The world doesn’t need another Picasso or Steve Jobs. The world needs you.
Rather than follow, it’s time to take on the identity of a pioneer. That is the core thread of what made those men great. They led the way into uncharted land. They made mistakes along the way, but that doesn’t delete the good that they found. Take the good and discard the wrong.
Exercise
Take a few minutes to reflect on who inspires you most. Think about people from the near and distant past. Think about family and friends. Think about colleagues and peers. Then list five to ten people who are at the top of your list. Identify what they taught you and why. Below are a few examples to get you started.
