What causes am I passionate about?
If you mean, so called, high profile, socially redeeming causes, such as global warming and world hunger, I'm not there at all.
I believe in community. I believe in the strength of the family. I believe in writing and speaking well, and I believe in common courtesy. I believe in respecting the elderly. I believe in dressing up on holidays. I believe in taking care of one’s property.
I believe in living within one’s means, and I think material things should be used only to further our efforts to better ourselves and take care of our family - not as symbols of monetary wealth. I believe in education, and I believe the parents should be held accountable if their healthy child fails to graduate from High School. I believe in the written word over video stimulus.
I believe in hard work, and I believe in helping others get ahead where they may not be as fortunate as me, or perhaps they suffered a loss or were born with a disability. However, I believe in disabilities that are real, not excuses for failure. I do not believe in failure. I do not believe in writers block or any obstacle that smacks of ambiguity.
I believe in being on time. As I have told my children: a person may steal my money; I will work hard to earn the money back. They may steal my car; I know it will more than likely be found, but if they steal my time, it is gone forever.
I do not believe in the power of positive thinking as a means to achieving short term goals. I believe in balancing my pain with my joy, and I do not believe in telling much about it to anyone, spare my spouse. I believe in standing up for myself and for my country when the cause is just, but I will back away from a fight when the cause is unjust or corrupt, and I believe in making that determination through the gathering of knowledge and understanding of the past, as much as the seeking out of truth and understanding of current events.
I believe perception can be more powerful than truth. I believe in fulfilling a promise. I believe true friendships are rare, but I believe meaningful acquaintances are to be treasured.
I believe love, music and art are the most powerful forms of human expression. I believe our birth is a miracle, yet I think the preparation for death should be a lifelong endeavor, so death will be as much a miracle.
I do not believe in praying to God for material things, or to help make my day go well, or for the winning lottery number, but rather to help me stifle the darker side of my humanity.
Jeffrey B. Allen