Interesting Tidbit on Tragedy

Tragedy awakens passion in a way that times of calm and blessing, pleasure and joy cannot. The word passion comes from a Latin root that means "suffering." It implies intense emotion that energizes a person to move. We are moved to act when we are in pain. When we know joy, we may dance and sing, but over time joy brings the heart to rest. Tragedy, on the other hand, moves the heart to act. All passion is founded on pain, grown through risk, and marked by decisions we make in the face of tragedy.

-Dan Allender, To Be Told p. 74