I don't care....

This morning while on a phone call I became acutely aware of how much easier it is to not care.The voice on the other end was chewing over a challenge he was facing and spewing out all sorts of emotional responses. I found myself in the role of a passive listener.I could not help to realize that no matter what I was listening to, I remained calm. I had no horse in this race , therefore, I did not care about the outcome.
I hung up the phone still pondering how nice it feels to just not care.
Something about that premise just didn't ring true to me. If I don't care about something, I can't connect to it either.
If I plan to be involved with a thing, I must care at some level.
Without caring,without connecting, I really shouldn't waste my time or anyone else's.
If I don't care I know I will not do a good job.
If that is true, then how was it that I felt so good while listening to the diatribe on my early morning phone call?
He was emotionally engaged a the highest level and I felt nothing but calm.
After some deliberation, I came to the conclusion that I absolutely did care, however it was in a empathetic manner.None of the pain was mine and I refused to buy into or become a part of the emotional cesspool that my friend was mired in.
I had no problem askng him how I might be of assistance.One thing I was certain of,I was not jumping into the place where he was stuck.
I could assist from my safe haven, without becoming a part of the problem.
As a matter of fact, by not allowing myself to get sucked into the emotional struggles associated with the situation, I actually had a clearer perspective which enabled me to offer some workable and valuable insights.
It then dawned on me that if in fact I could do this with someone else's challenges, why can't I apply the same reasoning to my own challenges.
When I put the passion aside, I have a better more realistic and more approachable vantage point. 
Being dispassionate allows me to feed my passion.
Sounds contradictory doesn't it?
Well it's not.
There are times when my passions get the best of me.
A low slow manageable fire is much more effective when it comes to warming myself than a huge blaze that quickly burns itself out.
There is probably a lot more behind this.As I look around at a number of fires in my life,I know I can handle all of them,as long as I don't allow any of them to rage out of control.
I am sure there are more thoughts to come around this.