Walk the Line

I've often reflected that our writing life mirrors our day to day experiences. Truth? Yes and no...While the characters and worlds we create are pulled from our imagination, much if not all of the way they relate with each other and their environment is based on our own experiences and desires.
The uniqueness of our craft is that we can enable responses in the way that we wish we could in reality!
An overbearing boss? No problem! Smack 'em, tell them off, plot their down fall or even their demise AND stay on the right side of the law!
As writers we can (and DO) inject our beliefs, values and world viewpoints onto our characters. Its part of what makes our work definitively our own. Our passion should be infused into our stories...BUT we walk a fine line from relating to ranting! My personal opinion is that the job of a storyteller is to enchant and entertain when writing fiction. Want to save the whales? AWESOME...but regardless of how vehemently you (or your character) believe in that cause, repetitious expounding on the topic will soon detract from even the best prose and plot.
We need to thread the needle...a story without a cause is doomed to dullness. The cause must be the underlining motivator and not the platform of the story itself. Use the cause but write about the effect! 
We are all driven by something...usually it's the humdrum of daily needs. Work, kids, grocery shopping...yawn...but on the occasions when life challenges us...rescuing a fallen comrade, rendering aid to a hurt child or intervening on behalf of another our focus becomes laser sharp. Intent merges with action usually without conscious effort and we marvel in the aftermath. How did I do that? 
That my friends should be our ultimate goal...like the great Johnny Cash said....Walk the line!