But I call it passion.
Today, there was an article in the local paper about a guy, Paul Boyette, from Chesapeake who had a running streak that lasted over six years. He ran at least two miles every day, running through injuries, terrible respiratory infections, and all kinds of weather. His streak was finally ended by a torn meniscus which proved too painful for him to run through. Oddly, this happened last summer, within a month of the pain in my knee becoming too great to run. The article was really vague as to what happened after he stopped because of the torn meniscus, but one of the photo captions describes him running last month. So, it appears as though he is back to doing what he loves.
The author of the article really makes this guy out to be an eccentric, hounding him because of his massive music and beer stein collections. The author describes how Boyette’s family and friends gave him endless grief about maintaining the running streak and running every day though illness and injury. Boyette is compared with a drug addict, as someone who has to get his fix or else he can’t function. His stacks of meticulously kept running logs and piles of worn out shoes are referenced as paraphernalia, aiding the addiction. A few commenters for the article say the guy is addicted to endorphins.
It isn’t addiction. It isn’t obsession. It is passion. Over the years, I’ve been hounded by people saying the same things, over and over:
“Why are you running in this weather? It’s too [cold/hot/rainy].”
“If you’re tired, take a day off.”
“Why don’t you try doing something else instead of running?”
The mediocre, the average, the run-of-the-mill Joe Six Pack only cares enough to go through the motions with any activity. These people, which make up a large majority of the population, see those who put all their effort into something as obsessive. The mediocre only wish to do good enough and to quit early. They will never feel good about any of their accomplishments, yet they simultaneously envy and criticize those who work extremely hard and become successful. The mediocre are everywhere and would love nothing more than to witness the failure of those who actually try. To that end, the mediocre spread their negativity and criticism to those they know that are successful, secretly wishing their endeavors will implode and their work will be for nothing. The author of the article and the commenters that follow are prime examples of those who just don’t get it.
People scoff at Bill Gates for sleeping in his office during the early years of Microsoft, working at his computer until he collapsed onto the floor with exhaustion. Though the mediocre label him as obsessive and wish to see Microsoft wiped from the earth, every single one of them has used a Microsoft product. If it weren’t for Gates’s efforts, this large scale success would never have been realized. Computing would never be what it is today without those “obsessives” working until they drop on the floor. Still more people can’t believe that the efforts Adam Savage of Mythbusters undertook to recreate an exact duplicate of the Maltese Falcon. He spent months of work researching the prop from the film, drawing sketches, making several mockups, and eventually getting his hands on the original prop to create a near flawless duplicate. In the video, Savage’s passion for his work really comes out as he speaks quickly and excitedly about every last detail of his quest. You don’t see that with the mediocre. You can tell when someone is passionate about their work when they speak of it like Savage, and you can tell when someone really just doesn’t care. I’ve seen professors, other grad students, running teammates, and internship co-workers speak with the same excitedness as Savage when they speak about their latest accomplishments. The passionate can pull you right into the hype.
It disappoints me to see that most others criticize the concentrated efforts of those like Bill Gates and Adam Savage while it is efforts such as those that keep the world in one piece. Without them, this world would be a bunch of slackers.
So why run until the pain becomes unbearable? Why work until you fall asleep at your desk? It is because not doing so would be a failure. I ran every day I could because I wanted to make the best of what I had. I ran every day and through all weather and many illnesses and injuries of my own because I knew there would be a day where the problems would be too great to run. On that day when I finally couldn’t run, I could look back and know that I had done my best. On the day I couldn’t run, I would have no regrets about the past. I would not have to wish that I had gone out for a run on a day that I was only too lazy to go. That day came last summer when my knee made running unbearable. Like Boyette, I had to stop. I had no regrets: I knew that I had made the best with what I had. Those who are mediocre will regret the day that they are unable to do something because of circumstances beyond their control. They had the chance to give it their all, but they didn’t make use of it.
I hope that I never again get criticised for biking or running as much as I can or for doing work when someone wants me to go out. It is what makes me who I am and it is not a disorder that should be treated with magic pills.
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