Then there is a still higher type of courage – the courage to brave pain, to live with it, to never let others know of it and to still find joy in life; to wake up in the morning with an enthusiasm for the day ahead. – Howard Cosell
Let me set this up for you. I subscribe to Amby Burfoot’s newsletter about old folks who have been running forever. Like that’s a good thing. https://www.lifetimerunning.net/
You know those life-size decals you put on your kid’s walls, the one’s of their sports heroes? Fatheads, they’re called. You could put Amby’s Fathead up there along with Billy’s and Berto’s and Benoit’s. Feelin’ alliterative.
Amby always includes an inspirational quote on his edifying site. Like this one. Like it’s gonna help.
Aldous Huxley: “The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.”
Immediately sent Mr. Burfoot a note.
Speaking as an old man who – most humbly – thinks his genius is carrying the spirit of a child still and strong after all these interesting weeks and months and hours and and decades and years, I am having trouble with the idea/concept of enthusiasm.
Now, a half century back, I was a big fan of Aldous Huxley. Something about sex and drugs resonated with me. Altho nobody said ‘resonated’ back then. But I am not feeling like the right word is ‘enthusiasm.’
enthusiasm
noun en·thu·si·asm | \ in-ˈthü-zē-ˌa-zəm , en- also -ˈthyü-\
Definition of enthusiasm
1a: strong excitement of feeling : ARDOR did her work with energy and enthusiasm
b: something inspiring zeal or fervor his enthusiasms include sailing and fishing
2a: belief in special revelations of the Holy Spirit
b: religious fanaticism
Synonyms
buzz, chic, craze, dernier cri, fad, fashion, flavor, go, hot ticket, last word, latest,mode, rage, sensation, style, ton, trend, vogue
Choose the Right Synonym for enthusiasm
PASSION, FERVOR, ARDOR, ENTHUSIASM, ZEAL mean intense emotion compelling action. PASSION applies to an emotion that is deeply stirring or ungovernable. was a slave to his passions FERVOR implies a warm and steady emotion. read the poem aloud with great fervor ARDOR suggests warm and excited feeling likely to be fitful or short-lived. the ardor of their honeymoon soon faded ENTHUSIASMapplies to lively or eager interest in or admiration for a proposal, cause, or activity. never showed much enthusiasm for sports ZEAL implies energetic and unflagging pursuit of an aim or devotion to a cause. preaches with fanatical zeal.
That last paragraph? I might have accidentally just wrote my first concrete poem. Think of the white space as the mezzanine.
What is the history of enthusiasm?
It may come as a surprise to many people, when they first look up the word enthusiasm, to see that its original meaning has to do with passion for religion, rather than passionate or eager interest in general. A brief explanation of the word’s etymology should clear this up.
Enthusiasm entered the English language around the beginning of the 17th century. It was borrowed from the Greek enthousiasmos, meaning “inspiration or possession by a god.” For the first two hundred or so years that it was used in English, enthusiasm was primarily employed to refer to beliefs or passions that related to religion. By the beginning of the 18th century, however, the word began to be used to describe having strong feelings or interest in secular matters.
Examples of enthusiasm in a Sentence
Hour by hour, minute by minute, Guerrero is a racehorse, sitting upright in a chair, revising copy, clarifying names and places, sprinkling the reports with jokes while a producer talks in her ear—then delivering with breakneck speed and unflagging enthusiasm.— Joel Drucker, Cigar Aficionado, May/June 2003
The Gower has a bewitching effect on my children. Perhaps it is because of having been cooped up in the car for four hours, but once we are negotiating the windy road along this southern Welsh peninsula, they are all gushing with enthusiasm.— Emma Haughton, Times (London), 12 Aug. 2000.
The last thing I’d want my kid to be is a religious Welsh racehorse. But that’s just me.
Got to be a better word than ‘enthusiasm’, that’s all I’m saying.
Send Amby Burfoot your suggestions. I think Cosell said it best – he just didn’t give it a name. “There is a still higher type of courage.” The old child is not about enthusiasm. The old child is about persistence and determination.
Just like distance running and life.
Don’t get me started.