In praise of enthusiasm

By Denise Winterman
BBC News Magazine

Enthusiasm squared - artist Sam Taylor-Wood and boxer Amir Khan

The first annual Enthusiast of the Year Award has been launched, but in a culture where enthusiasm is often viewed with suspicion, does anyone care?

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm," wrote the American author, poet and philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson.

And according to Aldous Huxley, the secret of genius "is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm".

High praise indeed for the trait, but enthusiasm is a quality that nowadays is underrated and often considered downright weird.

Consider the words anorak or geek - modern-day euphemisms for enthusiast, but equally light-hearted terms of abuse. And when written in a school report, "enthusiastic" is usually code for "well done for trying but you're not very good".

But in a bid to reclaim the word, The Enthusiast magazine has launched the first annual Enthusiast of the Year Award. The aim being to celebrate great enthusiasts of our time.

Blinkered

"Nowadays enthusiasm is considered nerdy and implies amateurism, but we want to remind people that at different points in human culture it has been more highly regarded," says a spokesman for the magazine, which is produced in Northern Ireland.

"At a time when the British public is repeatedly criticised for its apathy, we want to celebrate and applaud enthusiasm whenever and wherever we find it. The winner will get a certificate, gold cup, a huge pat on the back and the general high regard of the public at large."

A nature enthusiast

The list of people who have been nominated by the public so far is certainly eclectic and includes Jonathan Ross, Thierry Henry, Alan Titchmarsh, Sam Taylor-Wood, Mary J Blige and Amir Khan. Ordinary members of the public can be nominated too.

Author Marcus Berkmann says he has made a career out of writing about his enthusiasms - quizzes and cricket.

"I truly believe enthusiasm is the essence of happiness," he says. "It is often deemed uncool and we are all supposed to be nonchalant and not care about stuff, but being enthusiastic about something is the secret to a long, satisfying life.

"Be it stamp collecting or football, enthusiasts are the happiest people I know. I am a fan of enthusiasm and not enamoured of cool."

But philosopher Dr Julian Baggini says sometimes there is good reason to be suspicious of enthusiasts.

Shallow

"A real monomania can give someone a very blinkered view on life," he says. "Society has lost respect for the narrow enthusiast because we live in a have-it-all culture.

"Most people don't understand why they want to devote most of their time to one thing. But that is a reflection on us now being a broader, shallower society, not a narrow and deep one."

A shortlist of the nominees for the award will be published on The Enthusiast's website (see Internet links, right) in September and the winner announced at a later date.

And if the nation continues its enthusiasm for voting for anything but a political party - be it the Greatest Briton, next Pop Idol or latest Big Brother winner - the vote count should be high.