I've had this conversation over and over with my greatest confidant on this planet. The defining distinction between working hard vs 'work ethic', passion versus 'a love for.'Julian Assange, the man that redefines the phrase 'Don't kill the messenger,'reignites this discussion. With an actual war against nations, I become overwhelmed with fascination with this person, this character, his mission and end goal. Still I argue that Assange should have received 'Person of the Year' title over Zuckerberg although to Assange it may have meant nothing. With a story that sounds like the making of a novel, attending 37 different schools, hacking as a teenage informant I come to wonder what drives the WikiLeaks founder. What if drive or passion isn't the case? Passion indicates that there is a separation between an individual and what they enjoy.
There is a step outside of passion. There is a step further than 'loving' what you do. It is the becoming of what one does. This is their identity...their DNA. Like a disease, rather than complimenting what one has, it permeates then takes over. There is greed in the heart of every disease. It's the curse that blurs the lines of what is good/bad. The end goal is all that matters. It is in this understanding that Julian Assange is brought up. With this man comes the epic story of the re-movement of one's self from a life other than that devoted to the end goal.
There is no risk management. No payoff greater than the completion of a task. It's a curse, an addiction. A curse that every great has from designer Alexander McQueen to Mr. West: the torment to create, respond.
