What a boring bland world this would be in the absence of mass irrational obssessiveness. There would be NO wonders of the world. Forget about the Guinness Book of Records or in fact any significant historical achievement.
Why would anyone in their right mind set sail in a barely sea worthy vessel in the direction of the horizon with no reasonable expectation of navigating anywhere but over the edge of the world?
We could argue that the Pyramids and ancient Aztec monuments were a response not to obsession but rather to a spiritual impulse. The appeasing of the gods as it were. Let’s not however meander in to that quicksand of philosophy. It would be all too easy to polarize most readers of this brief scribble by even hinting that Religion is an obsession.
It’s hard not to be fascinated by the apparent crazy impulsive behavior of many collectors. I’m not referring to those with an eye on turning over a dollar, but rather those whose lives seemed consumed in a never ending search for some obscure memorabilia of an even more obscure historical figure.
These philatelists, taxidermists, fusilatelists or even cruciverbalists, whilst an easy target for comedic fodder, are undoubtedly comment worthy. If you’re feeling a little confused by the labels above, then you’re in good company, spell check is equally baffled!
Perhaps our biggest misconception as human beings is the belief that we’re actually logical creatures. This is repetitively proven to be a delusion on an almost hourly basis.
We’re irrationally emotional, prone to temper tantrums and other non-sensical behaviour. We drink, eat, smoke and generally indulge to excess in a manner that defies any definition of logic.
Why is it therefore that we seem shocked by the daily tabloid stories of lurid tales of the obsessive actions of those that we irrationally look up to. Why is Tiger Woods a role model? Why do we think that (former England football captain) John Terry a fallen icon?
Do you collect stamps, mount animal heads, (don’t be rude), collect telephone cards or spend hours doing the daily crossword? Hint: you don’t need to look up the above gibberish labels now!
There’s no particular message here. The observation I’m making, is that most of our behaviors are irrational at best and more often than not, downright illogical. With that in mind I say, choose your obsessions well. If they work for you, then don’t worry about justifying them to your pretentious peer group, because I guarantee they’re just as crazy as you!
One sobering word of caution however. Like all things in life, all actions have consequences, so with that in mind enjoy your obsessions!
Comments
Who are the "normal" ones among us? Who said they're the normal ones?
Maybe the masses are different - the not-so-normal! Just because society has accepted certain behaviour, does that make it normal?
I don't really know - what I DO know is that I enjoy my life to the max, doing stuff the "normal" people cast side-long glances at.
WoooHah!
We label ourselves as "logical" (I know I do), ignore everything that tells us otherwise. It's safe to live under a label, even though we all want to deny it.
As long as we know there are consequences to our obsessions, I agree with you - just go for it.
Ana Hoffman
I think at one point we were all thinking we were normal working our 9-5 job or corporate career. Sometimes sooner or than later we all felt this yearning deep inside of us that made us realize we ARE different.
Yes, I am an irrational obsessive person, and I do enjoy my obsessions :)