By Liam Gallups Posted December 17, 2014
Let’s talk about obsessions. For an otaku (anime and manga fan) like me, this word more or less defines a person’s way of life. Without the interest these people love, they may not find much reason to live anymore. Obsessions, for many people, are indeed a way of life.
As an otaku, I am obsessed with anime and manga. In fact, I founded a whole club around it. I flaunt my obsession as much as I can and I am not afraid to let my freak flag fly. I am a person who cares deeply about the things I am obsessed with and for me, that’s just okay.
Now, I realize there is such a thing as being obsessed to a fault. There are people who are so focused on the thing they are obsessed with, that they fail to see their lives as anything beyond their obsession. At that point, these people aren’t exactly functioning members of society anymore and those people should get help whether they like it or not.
There is a limit as to how obsessed a person can get. If it reaches a level where the person can only think about their obsession, that is a problem. If a person has the ability to think about something other than the obsession, they are relatively stable. I am a member of the latter, seeing as even though I am obsessed with anime and manga, I can change to other subjects like music, fine literature, current events, romance, and even… Well, that’s all I can think of outside of anything that would be connected to my obsession, even remotely. But I digress.
That brings me to the “Border-Liners” as I like to call them. This category is the one I am the closest to. Border-liners are those people who are obsessed with something and are dangerously close to the unhealthily obsessed people but can shift to another subject with a bit of effort. These people are not exactly as insane as the overly obsessed people but are more clingy and reluctant than the moderately obsessed people. With counseling, both Border-Liners and unhealthily obsessed people can be reverted.
Then there is the danger that if you do revert them, you are interfering with their lives. If a person is obsessed with something bad, like murder or being tortured, for instance, they need help. If it is with something harmless, like anime and manga (although some of those are rather controversial) it’s okay as long as the person isn’t unhealthily obsessed. As the old saying goes, you can have too much of a good thing.
Obsessions, for many, are a way of life. It’s only if the level of obsession is unhealthily high or is with something bad that it becomes a big problem. I urge you to consider whether or not there is a special interest that you hold dear. Are you obsessed with it but can turn away from it easily, or rather reluctantly? Now turn to the person who’s nearby. Are they obsessed with something? What is it with? Can they easily stop thinking about it or can they not leave it alone? If it’s the former, would it be a bad thing to them to make them lose interest? If it’s the latter, would it do them good to pull them back to reality? To all those people who think all obsessions are sins, are they really?
I urge you to consider these questions. I urge you to listen to these musings and look at the world around you. That is my opinion, and I shall stand by it. This is the life I lead.
