Much of the good accomplished in our world was the work of fanatics, but so has much of the bad. The word itself implies that the fanatic is without compromise therefore, without reason. Whether or not this is a fair characterization is moot.
We are all familiar with the bargainer's tactic of asking for more while willing to accept less. To me, this is the role the fanatic plays in nudging progress. Without the strident voices demanding certain perceived good, no advancement toward the goal would occur. Yet, there is a point beyond which the voices become irritating and harmful to their cause. If the fanatic does not recognize this point of diminishing returns, he will hurt his cause. Passion is good if used properly. A good salesman knows when to stop talking. Even those who may share the concerns may abandon the cause.
Fanatics are found in nearly every aspect of human endeavor: politics, religion and even sports. The sports "fans" are really nuts! They range from those who appreciate sports skills to those who would riot over a referee's call or the outcome of a game. What's up with that? All "religions" require a degree of faith. Not everything religions profess are provable. Reasonable people recognize this but fanatics refuse to accept the right of others to believe differently. This attitude has been the cause of unbelievable atrocities in man's history.
Even my beloved sport of golf has its share of fanatics. Everyone should have some (wholesome) thing they are passionate about. But even this seemingly benign fanaticism has a dark side. Sometimes families are neglected, money and time are wasted and even jobs lost. So, fanaticism can be a force for good but, even though contradictory, it should be "reasonable".
I can't resist telling a golf fanatic joke here. A little off-color but tolerable, I believe. A couple of golf nuts who played every Saturday from dawn until dusk were preparing to go to play. One of the wives objected to her husband leaving because he had invited his family for lunch and wouldn't be back in time. To overcome the argument he promised to play only nine holes and be home early. Against her better judgement, she agreed to let him go.
Miraculously, the friends played nine holes in record time. One suggested playing more but the other, to be safe, offered to stop for a drink instead. When they entered the bar, a gorgeous lady began flirting with and trying to seduce the guy whose wife didn't want him to play. Tempted, he looked at his watch and determined he could still be home on time if he gave in. When it was over, it was much later than anticipated and now there was no chance of getting home on time for lunch with his family. He needed some kind of story for his wife to avoid being killed. He and his friend concocted many scenarios but rejected them all as unbelievable. A decision was made, no matter what the consequences to tell the TRUTH! That is in fact what he did expecting that he would never leave the room alive. The response from his wife instead was an angry, "Don't lie to me. You played eighteen holes!!!!
We are all familiar with the bargainer's tactic of asking for more while willing to accept less. To me, this is the role the fanatic plays in nudging progress. Without the strident voices demanding certain perceived good, no advancement toward the goal would occur. Yet, there is a point beyond which the voices become irritating and harmful to their cause. If the fanatic does not recognize this point of diminishing returns, he will hurt his cause. Passion is good if used properly. A good salesman knows when to stop talking. Even those who may share the concerns may abandon the cause.
Fanatics are found in nearly every aspect of human endeavor: politics, religion and even sports. The sports "fans" are really nuts! They range from those who appreciate sports skills to those who would riot over a referee's call or the outcome of a game. What's up with that? All "religions" require a degree of faith. Not everything religions profess are provable. Reasonable people recognize this but fanatics refuse to accept the right of others to believe differently. This attitude has been the cause of unbelievable atrocities in man's history.
Even my beloved sport of golf has its share of fanatics. Everyone should have some (wholesome) thing they are passionate about. But even this seemingly benign fanaticism has a dark side. Sometimes families are neglected, money and time are wasted and even jobs lost. So, fanaticism can be a force for good but, even though contradictory, it should be "reasonable".
I can't resist telling a golf fanatic joke here. A little off-color but tolerable, I believe. A couple of golf nuts who played every Saturday from dawn until dusk were preparing to go to play. One of the wives objected to her husband leaving because he had invited his family for lunch and wouldn't be back in time. To overcome the argument he promised to play only nine holes and be home early. Against her better judgement, she agreed to let him go.
Miraculously, the friends played nine holes in record time. One suggested playing more but the other, to be safe, offered to stop for a drink instead. When they entered the bar, a gorgeous lady began flirting with and trying to seduce the guy whose wife didn't want him to play. Tempted, he looked at his watch and determined he could still be home on time if he gave in. When it was over, it was much later than anticipated and now there was no chance of getting home on time for lunch with his family. He needed some kind of story for his wife to avoid being killed. He and his friend concocted many scenarios but rejected them all as unbelievable. A decision was made, no matter what the consequences to tell the TRUTH! That is in fact what he did expecting that he would never leave the room alive. The response from his wife instead was an angry, "Don't lie to me. You played eighteen holes!!!!
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