I haven’t been up at 3AM since the last time I decided to get drunk, which was around May of this year. I know I wouldn’t stay up for Greg Gutfield’s Red Eye on Fox News, but I’ve read through his archives often. His piece on running stood out to me tonight. He hates runners “because they talk about running. Incessantly. It’s like they falsely believe their obsession is also ours, so immersed in their own compulsion that they have no idea what they have become: bloated vehicles for nonsensical ravings spewing poop in every direction. (Running is Bad For Your Health, 2008-06-24)”

Why, the same thing can be said about: political junkies, gym nuts, hypermilers, salespersons, WOW players, sports fans, foodies, liberals, conservatives, conspiracy theorists, greenies, hippies, vegans, meat-eaters, photographers, models, writers… You know, I could go on. But the point here is the Gutfield touches on a typical aspect of human interaction: people who are passionate about something will talk about it. Perhaps the unintended consequence of this is that sometimes, we fail to ask the listening party (who at a certain point has become the party that is feigning interest) what they are interested in. In an effort to seek out validation, or conversation, the passionate tend to alienate. Then they gravitate towards each other, which makes them prime pickings for hobbyists on “the outside.”

I’ve been guilty of railing on and on about something that I know might not interest the person I’m talking to. People I’ve listened to have done the same. But when a true conversation actually happens, it’s one of those moments that leave us feeling like a part of the greater portion of humanity outside of what we are passionate about.