In the newspaper I saw a tag-line for an airplane engineering company that stated, 'Engineered with passion'. I found myself pondering how this simple statement could radically relate to life. The company thought that passion was a positive element in the production of superior flying machines. What if we could say that our lives were 'engineered with passion'?
I define passion as an inherent, soul-driven desire to follow a particular career path or opportunity.  Passion is the quality which guides us into the most rewarding of experiences. It is what constitutes the core of our being, the gut instinct that animates, invigorates and motivates. Passion brings recognition to who we really are and ultimately inspires us to push humanity forward. Sadly, many of us do not listen to our passion or pursue its subtle persuasion. Often, we spend so long silencing our inner passion that we do not even know how to identify it.
While driving with my father the other day we began talking about his future career goals. I asked him my 'passion question' - the question I ask others to enable them to identify their core passions in life. Until then I thought I knew my father (a successful insurance agent and financial planner) quite well. His response revealed that I did not. 'If you could do anything,' I queried, 'and you knew you would have all the money you needed to support you and your family, what would you do?' He hesitated and then replied, 'I would be an abstract artist.' I was shocked! I had no idea he had a passion for art. In fact, I discovered that for several years he had drawn many of the abstract art pieces he saw in his mind's eye in hopes that one day he might have the courage to pursue his passion. What held him back was fear - fear of not making enough money, fear of what others would think, fear of failure.  We cannot live an inspired and fruitful life if it is directed by fear.
When I graduated from college I found myself fearful for several months as I tried to figure out which career path I should pursue in order to make enough money, build a good resume, and start on the road to assured success. Finally, I decided to get really honest with myself. I silenced all the voices in my head - those of my parents, my professors, my friends - regarding what they thought I should do and asked myself the 'passion question'. I did not have an instant answer, but it was gradually revealed the more I put aside my pre-packaged life plans and listened to my inner compass. I soon realised that I was passionate about helping people to establish free societies, live democracy and embrace universal values. As soon as I gave myself permission to pursue what I loved, knowing that if it was right I would naturally meet with success, then the necessary direction to proceed became clear. I decided to start a non-profit company called World Dynamics, Inc., working with young, emerging global leaders to establish and live democracy politically, socially and economically in their countries. Today I find that pursuing my passion nourishes both my soul and intellect and provides me with a feeling of profound fulfillment.
Allowing oneself to follow one's passion is a liberating experience. Cultivating passion is not the same as pursuing your dreams. Dreams often comprise our passions, but passion is the substantive, core feeling inside that directs one toward what one loves most. Opening thought to one's passion is the first step towards identifying it, because we naturally gravitate towards that which we most love. I believe pursuing one's passion is the fulfilling of a divine law, and obedience to divine law meets with assured success. When we follow our passions we actually give ourselves permission to be ourselves. Perhaps then we will truly be able to say our lives are 'engineered with passion'.  

 I have always been passionate. When I first learned to crawl, I crawled with a passionate speed and disregard for anything that stood in my way.  Passion can be like that - bulldozing over obstacles and loved ones until the goal is reached. But passion is also what produces beauty, ingenuity and commitment without which the world would be a dull place. To be passionate is to be alive. It is just a matter of channelling that passion.
My great passion is the relationship between the West and the Middle East.  I first visited the Middle East in 1987. As I looked out over the West Bank where the Palestinians live under Israeli occupation, I could feel the pain my Palestinian friends felt at seeing their land taken. Eight months earlier, the death of my best friend had forced me to think about the meaning of my being alive and I had decided to use my life to try create a better world. This decision had begun to take me out of my little world and sensitise me to the feelings and needs of others. The pain of the Palestinians struck me therefore doubly hard.
A passion took hold of me for the Palestinian cause - to the point, I am ashamed to say now, that I felt justice had been done when Israeli soldiers died in skirmishes.
When I visited Lebanon in 1992, felt the pain of 17 years of civil war, brother killing brother, often for the sake of foreign powers playing their game in Lebanon, it struck me how much of the problems of today’s Middle East can be traced to European meddling, first as colonial powers, now as masters of the 'New World Order'. This realisation made me long to improve relations between the West and the Middle East, change the relationship from 'divide and rule' to one of genuine respect and service.
This passion was flawed, though, because it excluded Israelis and anyone pro-Israel. My passion fed on injustices - I sought them out, seethed with anger and felt virtuous because I was on the side of the victim. My passion craved success - I would not feel satisfied unless my vision of justice was implemented. Though born of compassion, it had become bitter and self-righteous. It was self-centred, for I did not give much thought to how my passion helped or hindered my Palestinian friends.
Then, a friendship with an American Jew made me confront how destructive I had become, like the child crawling like a bulldozer and how one more passionate hatred merely further inflamed the passions in the Middle East without solving anything. My passion needed re-channelling. I decided to open my heart to Jews and Israelis and began to visit Israel - as well as Palestine - regularly. I still long for a just solution for the Palestinians and mourn when a Palestinian youth is shot dead for throwing stones at a heavily armoured Israeli army post - but now I also long for a just solution for the Israelis and mourn for the death of an Israeli child, blown apart because his parents wanted to live with their own people. Slowly I began to gain admiration for Judaism and compassion for all that the Jews suffered. I started to see the people behind the cause I had so identified myself with - the Palestinians but also the Israelis with their fears and hopes. Now that I was more concerned with people than a cause, I began to appreciate the beauty of Arab civilisation and Islam more than, ironically, I did before. I long even more for peace but have less answers than before.
I long even more for reconciliation between the West and the Middle East but realise how much I as a Western Christian have to learn - from the past, from Judaism, from Islam.
Passion is what gives life much of its meaning. But it needs regular check-ups. When it excludes others in the name of a grand goal, we become destructive. When it makes us feel self-righteous, we are cut off from reality and compassion for others. When it becomes disillusioned because the goal is not reached, it dies and takes joy out of life. Passion needs constant balancing with compassion and humility, constant distancing from the goal so that even if the goal is not reached - or reached differently - passion still remains.
This is a never-ending process full of new discoveries.  Recently those close to me told me that my passion was blinding me to their needs and made me ignore them.  Recently, too, I was depressed for days because I felt so traumatised by a year of living in Palestine and sharing the pain, that my passion was giving way to disillusionment. I’m still wrestling with this one but know my disillusionment comes from a naive understanding of the harshness of reality. The way of passion can be painful. But it is always enriching. It is what makes life worth living.      

On Sunday nights I'm not particularly passionate about life. The TV goes on and the brain switches off.  Eggs on toast for dinner.  The dog yawns comfortably in front of the fire.  No-one can be passionate, creative and enthusiastic all the time.
Passion is a demanding creature. When you are passionate about something it becomes almost fully absorbing. You find yourself thinking about it a lot, playing around with ideas.  I've been known to drive off the road at such times.
For me, farming in New Zealand is my passion. It's my job, my lifestyle and my interest.  I love the challenge - making a living from the land, finding ways to produce better wool and lambs. I love watching things grow and change with the seasons. I chat to people who share my love for farming whenever I get the chance.
Farming is more than turning grass into dollars. As an agricultural writer I'm lucky enough to immerse myself in the new technologies of farming (organic production, cloning) and to spend time thinking about how the world's farmers can feed the world, make a decent living and protect the environment.  Don't get me started on that one.
Sometimes our farm business can give us a kick in the teeth - an horrific drought with the army carting water to us and our stock for two months, a drop in wool prices for the second decade in a row, a world economic crisis.
 So why do we go on? Madness?  No, it's passion. A desire to live out a dream, to do something you think is worthwhile and to do something you enjoy.     

I'm an outdoor person, so I like sports and travelling.  At the moment I'm mad about tennis.  When you get an ace and that ball hits the line on the other side of  the court, it's the best feeling.
As a South Korean, I've committed myself to working for the peaceful reunification of the Korean peninsula.  Korea has been divided into North and South for the last 50 years.  Many Koreans are shouting 'Reunification' without doing anything.  I really want to see our divided nation and families join together in my lifetime.  For this I will do everything I can.  
I'm also passionate about learning Japanese and Chinese because I'd like to improve relations between Korea, Japan, Taiwan and China.  I long for a better understanding and a better future for our region.  

I have a passion for computers. It all started when I was ten, and we got our first computer at home. It was an impressive machine in those days, an XT with an 10 MB hard disk.  First, I loved playing games, but soon I started to learn how to program. Very quickly, I got addicted to the idea that, when writing programs, you can actually make the computer do what you like! In those days, I used every free hour to program and realised that this passion for computers would be a big part of my life.
At the end of 1995, I discovered the Internet and realised that this network of millions of computers was even better! Not only can you let your own machine do what you like, you can show what you are doing to millions of other people and spread what you write very easily. It's an absolute superior means of communication, which is why I enjoy running the Global Express website so much:  http://globalexpress.iofc.org  Check it out!
At 22, I've just started my first job which involves the Internet and security. I have no car, but I have four computers, and I hope to start my own Internet business eventually. I let my passion lead me on the path of life and have not regretted it yet!                                     

Sade's 'Diamond Life' was the first song I heard on the radio this morning. I'm not sure what it's all about, but in a wild way, it gave me a starting point to this piece. In the last week I had been grasping for inspiration, for catchy words. But I was stuck - pathetically short for words. And I thought to myself, 'Is this the make of a passionate person'?
When I worked for a department store, I learnt how a diamond is valued. It is in the C's - the colour, the clarity, the cut and the carat are amongst the defining characteristics. The value of a single precious stone lies in the combined quality of each characteristic.
I'm not saying I'm a gem. Goodness no! Nor that I have a 'brilliant' life. What am I trying to say?  Allow me to let my emotions flow freely...
I love being caught in the rain and hail on a long mountain hike - the cold and wet sensation against my skin. But that's only because I can look forward to warm clothes and dry socks. I like stillness, and I like noise pollution. Give me blazing sunshine so that I may sleep in the shade. But give me falling snowflakes so that I may slip and slide to catch. I'm enjoying my home-away-from-home here in London, yet I am happily preparing to depart for the streets of Mumbai in India. And chocolates and chips... Yes please! Well, maybe I have been blessed with a beautiful life.
Life is precious. Each person's is a uniquely cut gem. I'm not passionate about anything I can name. I'm passionate about everything in life - my free life!

Debate continues as to whether music is a means for the expression of ideas, experiences and feelings or a distinct system or way of thinking in its own right. For me, it is a form of personal expression, communication, common understanding and a mode of thought. It will be my passion for eternity!
It is precisely the mystery of her origin that accounts for the charm of her beauty. The chief delight of every living creature, all are attracted by the magnetic magic of music. It was with music that Orpheus could win back his beloved wife from the hands of death. So sweet is music, even wild beasts forget their nature under its magical influence. There is music in nature too. The stars, the sea, the wind, the clouds have their own music. 
Music purifies and ennobles. It is a balm for the sick heart, a remedy for worries and woes and it breathes peace into the soul. When tired of my day’s work, I amuse myself with songs.  Music is the fountain of purest pleasure... adding a few notes of sweetness to the sad song of life.

 Since the age of three when I first learnt to ride, my passion has been horses.  It's hardly surprising because my grandfather won The Grand National in 1882!  My father's philosophy about life (as a steeplechase rider himself) was that life is like a steeplechase.  To win the race and complete the course, 'Throw your heart over the fence first.  Then you and your horse will follow.  Hesitate and doubt that you can really get over the big jump, and you will end in the ditch!'  A helpful philosophy I have found in making big decisions or even small ones!