Passion. Close enough!

Amadeus was a great movie, but after all these years I feel like something else about it just clicked for me.

My take on it has always been that the story of Mozart's life was secondary to what the movie really wanted to say, which was that some people have talent, and some have even more talent.  It was about how much humble pie sucks (and when you think about that, the decision to use Mozart to deliver that message is kind of a no-brainer.)

Of course there are all sorts of talents and we're not all musicians,  but the "Well, I thought I was good until I saw that guy" theme is very relatable. And for even more mass appeal, the movie also evokes the frustration of having a passion for something you're not very good at.

What just clicked for me is how well this applies to the fun new sport of having an angry political opinion.  I see an awful lot of people getting all excited and passionate about their political views, but rarely does the logic really add up.  Somewhere along the line the skill runs out and the passion takes over, and everybody loves passion, so it's all okay.

Except your music just isn't good.