<p>By passion, I mean a purpose that you actively contribute towards (or believe you are doing so). Something that makes you angry when it seems like your cause is losing.</p>
<p>I guess I'm being very abstract here. But my main point is that life feels somewhat empty for a lot of people when the high end purpose is to merely "satisfy/fulfill themselves". I believe that truly happy people need to have a sense of duty towards something beyond just themselves.</p>
<p>I’d have to say animals/animal rights. </p>
<p>Hopefully I fulfill my dream as a vegan chef, I believe good cruelty free food makes a positive impact, if its just one meal someone eats without animal ingredients.</p>
<p>I also volunteer with animals, and will hopefully be a part time wildlife rehabilitator and have my own little sanctuary one day. ;D</p>
<p>But I’m always a lot happier when I’m helping others in general. =-)</p>
<p>^ thanks, s0ad. i’m just curious, but what kind of emotions do you feel when you think about people who just don’t care much about animal rights in general, or even those who without a thought eat meat every day?</p>
<p>Do you ever have a desire to “fix” them?</p>
<p>I have so many passions I feel a bit distracted when it comes to focusing on a specific strength I have. I love theatre: singing, acting. Ever since I was Bloody Mary in my school’s spring musical South Pacific, I knew that I’d make something of my talents. Still don’t know how big of it will come to play in college, but we’ll see. </p>
<p>and S0ad, I’m a part of the Animal Rights Club at my school. Im not a vegetarian because meat is always in my house, but I definitely am against the use of animal products in the fashion industry and animal testing.</p>
<p>I think many people who eat meat are misinformed (not counting those with little options, in very poor nations that lack adequate food). In the US we are not involved with food at all, most children don’t know where their food comes from, and adults don’t know the true conditions about factory farms. deforestation, etc. So I’m some what understanding, but I think many people are just plain selfish, and they annoy me.</p>
<p>People who deliberately abuse animals however… these people make me <em>very</em> angry. I have no compassion towards them. I can’t see myself harming someone else… but if someone else wanted to cruelly hurt these people… I say good. 
If someone put a kitten in an oven for instance, I would not object putting that person in an oven. Harsh… but my honest opinion.</p>
<p>I hate to risk pulling this off-topic…</p>
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<p>…but I find statements like this silly. I know some people who are with respect to all conceivable measures truly happy but who aren’t activists with regard to helping others (be they humans or animals or what have you) in some particular way. Saying that such people aren’t truly happy seems like an occurrence of the “no true Scotsman” fallacy.</p>
<p>I’d be such a person. I’m truly happy, but my passions are more personal pursuits rather than social causes.</p>
<p>If being such an activist is not what you mean, however, then disregard this.</p>
<p>Well everything I do is to prepare for when I get older.</p>
<p>I would like to earn as much as I would while I’m young so I can retire early. I don’t need a luxorious living, just enough money so I don’t have to work anymore. </p>
<p>Then I can like relax, listen to music and think about reality.</p>
<p>^ username, what are you planning on doing then?</p>
<p>I’m thinking of Ibanking. I’ve always loved stocks, math and gambling related probability stuff.</p>
<p>my goal is ~10M saved throughout my career, then</p>
<p>5M goes to family and relatives
1M goes to my undergrad school
2M goes to a house and furnishings
2M goes to food, clothes, electricity etc for the rest of my life</p>
<p>2M goes to a house and furnishings</p>
<p>You must not live in California</p>
<p>Nope. Why? What would it be in Cali?</p>
<p>@UnleashedFury: 2 million is quite reasonable for house and furniture in California. Albeit, one would not have the best of house and furniture, but if you buy a house in the suburbs then you should have no problem. </p>
<p>My goal in life is to increase the literacy rate of the world, and contribute to the world of literature by becoming a novelist. I’m very passionate about the world of words. :')</p>
<p>My uncle just bought a house for 220k like two days ago. He lives in California. Consequently, we just went for a vacation in cali and came back yesterday so we got to see the house. My mom is looking for a house here in BC, and a similar house would cost 600k in a bad location. I thought cali was cheap o.o</p>
<p>California’s real estate is going down due to all the economic trouble they are in. California use to be outrageously expensive depending on where you live. An average house in San Diego goes for about $700k; an average house in lets say Pasadena goes for $300k.</p>
<p>i want to be a physician, but im really passionate about promoting healthy eating in low-income neighborhoods. i live in a part of nyc where most foods are either fried, deep-fried, or loaded with high fructose corn syrup. sound eating is a huge leap toward a sound living and mind. as dead prez says, “let ya food be your medicine.”</p>
<p>aside from that, id say im really, really passionate about seeing a society that was no longer racialized on a subconscious level (despite supposedly liberal mindsets prevalent in our generation), nor heavily driven by material gain and capitalistic greed.</p>
<p>as far as the former goes, i believe we live in a constructionist society, and we obviously appropriate meaning to everything around us, especially race. with that said, i think it’d take progressive thought, and an eradication of subconscious constructions of race (which even the most vehement anti-racist would have) to shape the world that we only idealistically speak about. ive been trying to start with myself, but its hard to do so in opposition to a world who quite literally for centuries has constructed its existence on the concept of black vs white.</p>
<p>username, just curious, but do you have any backup plans?
i don’t want to be discouraging or anything, but i heard that it’s really hard to become an investment banker…</p>
<p>not really. I’ll just keep trying if I fail. Like part-time job + more schooling until I get an opportunity.</p>