I love hearing all about whatever my friends love. Tell me about your TV shows and interests and job. It always puts a smile on my face when I listen to my friends rambling about what makes them happy. For example, I have never seen a single anime, but I know the plot of at least five from my friend. She gets so into them and I’m more than happy to let her rant to me about them.
But there is a fine line between love and obsession. While the difference between the two may seem confusing, it is actually quite simple. Obsession is pestering me to love the thing you’re obsessing over. Love is not pressuring me into feeling the same way about it. When you love something, it is okay if I don’t want to watch/read/listen to it. When you’re obsessed with something it isn’t. They can’t seem to understand why you wouldn’t want to watch/read/listen to it.
But I can understand why you wouldn’t want to. It’s pretty simple. The fact that they are being so annoying with their nonstop reasons of why you should is exactly why you won’t. Let’s use Hamilton as an example. I love history and I love musicals, so theoretically I should love Hamilton because it combines these two things. Here’s the catch. The fact that so many people I know (and love) have constantly been on me about not listening to the music has turned me off. Listening to someone yell at you for not listening to Hamilton is a pretty convincing reason not to.
If you still aren’t understanding what I mean let me break it down for you. The fact that you are being so rude about me not having the same love you do is turning me away. If I had never had these conversations I probably would have listened to it by now. Obsessions harden my resolve. It makes me dead set on not listening/watching/reading the thing. You have made me hate your obsession merely because you would not stop telling me to listen/watch/read it.
Let’s return to my anime example. How is it different from Hamilton? My friend has never asked me to watch an anime. She has never told me I had to watch one. She has never acted like it was a crime when I told her I hadn’t seen an anime. This right here is the difference between someone who loves something and someone who is obsessed with something. The first understands that you might not be interested and never pushes it. The second cannot understand that and does everything in their power to change that fact.
What I’m really trying to get at is that it’s okay to love something so much. It’s okay to want other people to enjoy something as much as you do. But it’s not okay to force it on others. It’s not okay to make others feel bad for not watching/listening/reading the thing you love. Everyone loves different things. When we can all accept that fact the world will be a much better place. So to conclude it’s always okay to tell me what you love, just don’t force me to love it too.