"Obsessions" by ARK

I don't know why, but I have always taken the term "obsession" negatively. Okay, I will admit I DO know the reason. But I can have my secrets too, can't I? :)

I mentioned in the Reality Check page that I have an obsession for characters. I love stories, movies, video games, and anything else that may involve several interestingly different personalities. That is actually the primary motivation for me to trying something new. If I want to read a good book? I will check the characters. If I want to see a movie? I will check the characters. Video games? Characters.

This might be an obsession. According to my definition of the term, it is not. I still take it negatively though, because it's a weird habit. Society may frown at the one-sidedness of my interests. But that's just who I am. I enjoy differences in people.

Do not get me wrong. I do not see a person's obsession itself as a bad thing. I just think the word "obsessed" is an exaggerated word. I think it should only be used during extreme situations. For example, when you become so accustomed to a particular song that it not only becomes your LSS (last song syndrome) but you never stop singing it. You begin to sing it everywhere you go, annoying everyone in the process. The song plays on your head as you sleep, and even as you dream. You sleep-sing it. The lyrics become the basis of every other thought that comes into your head. Exaggerated? Yes, and I think that is the proper use of the term.

I watched an episode of Spongebob one day (though I rarely do.) and saw an example of obsession. What I mentioned above was slightly displayed when Spongebob began humming this cute little tune. Soon after, he was so obsessed with the song that he did not get any good night's sleep. He kept listening to it, over and, over, and over. He went crazy over the song, to the point that even Squidward wanted to help him.

If I remember right, it was only caused by this malicious earworm. I think that's the episode's title too. Watch "Earworm" for a better picture of my definition of obsession.

Now I do believe I know a very few people (if I know one at all) that suffer from this kind of delusion. But look, we all have our crazy sides. We all have things we like...a little too much. And for me, I think people and their crazy sides make them all the more interesting.