In my writing and my political campaign, I contributed to a cacophony that was already more annoying than Val Kilmer, and I should be punished. I arrive at this conclusion with great reluctance, but if I kept ignoring it any longer I would probably end up jumping out of a window somewhere. The sad truth is, when you care deeply about something, you have to be prepared to be the only person in the entire world who gives a damn. You might just be the only person who cares and, frankly, you can't start complaining when the people around you don't see your viewpoint. By all means, try to communicate your message, but don't keep tilting at the windmill until you get brain damage.
Brain damage is a bad thing.
Quite a few of us are perilously close to it. Let me restate my point in a more roundabout way. Exceptional people are usually exceptional for two reasons. They're smarter, or stronger, or more creative or more insightful than other people. Passion in this sense means caring for something to such an extent that your ego is subverted to its purpose.