passion or apathy?

I've been having a nagging thought lately. Are people happier or more satisfied having a passionate outlook on life or an apathetic one? This is almost certainly an unanswerable question, although no less intriguing to me.

As a teenager I worried about a plethora of things under many subheadings. Believe it or not, one of the things that I worried about most, aside from boys and brain tumors, was not being truly passionate about anything. I liked the idea of many things, however couldn't justify putting all of my energy into full-on devotion. I envied the hippies and the evangelicals. They had these sets of beliefs and as far as I could see, they stuck to them and did not waiver. I now see things a bit differently.

As an adult I've come to the conclusion that it really is ok to not be absolutely devoted to one set of beliefs. In my eyes I think it may actually be better to not. There is a smaller chance for one to become close-minded or short-sighted due to these beliefs that may become irrelevant or stale for one reason or another.

So, now that I've decided that I can live without being "devout" anything, I wonder if it'd be even better if I were simply apathetic to things. Would it be better to not worry about anything and leave the tough stuff, like politics and religion and disease, to people who care? Should I simply live my life and not worry about anything or anyone but myself and do only what makes me happy? I've given considerable thought to this. After all, being passionate about things can be quite exhausting. I then thought about how unsatisfying life would be if I just sat back and didn't care about anything. Yuck.

I suppose when all is said and analyzed, I would consider myself to be on some sort of middle ground. I am passionate about some things. However I will never, EVER try and jam my belief down anyone's throat, or any other open space on or in the body. I also think apathy has it's place for the things I know nothing about - and don't think will really matter in the long run.

All-in-all, I think completely one way (apathetic about everything or wacko passionate) is not beneficial. I think to be well-rounded with equal amounts of passion and apathy is the most satisfying - and effective for that matter! Don't be afraid to change our mind - I promise it doesn't mean you were lying before - you may have just gotten some new facts and reassessed the situation...