An Obsession

Dear Reader,

Today I want to talk about obsessions.

Anyone who knows me will agree that when I enter into a conversation about anything I am passionate about, I tend to get a little…obsessive. Enthralled even…enraptured, ardent, zealous, or perhaps heated.

Any of these things can describe my tone and body language when in discussion about a passion of mine. Now, you may disagree with this, but I think passions and obsessions have a lot of similarities.

I have many passions, and I am often obsessive about them.

You can always tell when people are talking about their passions. It’s in their eyes. There’s this wild gleam that only grows the longer you talk. This gleam can be frightening to those who have never felt the effects of a passionate obsession.

Some people think that passionate obsessions – or obsessive passions – can be unhealthy, and in some cases this is true. However, they can also be incredibly fulfilling. There’s nothing I enjoy more than talking animatedly with another person who shares a joy of something I love. It’s thrilling in a way no other conversation topic is.

I feel this way about many things, things that other people won’t entirely understand. I feel passionate about wolves, about clouds and nature, about training my unsocial dog to get along with others. I feel passionate about Harry Potter, and Fairy Tail and a scant few other fandoms.

The difference between unhealthy obsession and healthy obsession, is knowing how it affects you and others. Those who do not understand the power of a fandom, will mock those who take part in them. Yet, I pity these people. I consider myself part of several fandoms, and often they are a wonderful thing to partake in. Where else can you find the kind of devotion that leads to dozens of people gathering outside the premier of a movie and raising their wands and lightsabers to the sky in respect for a fallen actor? This, to me, is beautiful.

What is the harm, I ask, in becoming passionate about something that brings you joy? What is wrong in sharing that joy with others who are also passionate about it? If it doesn’t harm anyone, then, nothing. It is, in fact, quite wonderful.

This is what leads me to writing, day after day. Passion and obsession. The desire to create a place for others, like that which I have been a part of. I hope that one day Fandoms of Extinguish or Riverwood feel the way that I feel about Harry Potter and Fairy Tail. I hope they have people to talk to in animated excitement. I hope that they find the same acceptance and wonder that I have found. I hope they feel that special something, when they turn the last page, that I have often felt.

This hope – passion, obsession – along with the desire to do justice to the characters within my mind, is what drives me.

This is what should drive you. Find your passion, and chase it with healthy obsession. If there is something you love that makes you happy, you should go after it with all your strength.

That is my belief, and that is what I strive for. I hope that you strive for it too.

Sincerely,

The Jade Writer Girl.