Obsession at its Worst

ob·ses·sion

əbˈseSHən/

noun

an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person's mind.

"he was in the grip of an obsession he was powerless to resist"

Let me tell you a story what I recall from this dictionary entry. A guy puts in all his effort to reach the school he wants. He reaches there. Meanwhile, he falls in love with a girl who happens to be an old friend and cannot help but think about her. He wants to get her without considering the repercussions of ignoring school. He cannot focus at school and eventually fails. The next semester, he puts all his energy again and gets into the laboratory (just imagine he is a science graduate) he dreamed to get into his entire life, but loses hold of that girl. Whatever he did was correct considering the circumstances he ran into. But, ultimately, he partially destroyed his identity by letting himself low professionally. Why could not he make sure that whatever he did should have been done to achieve whatever he wanted, not by sacrificing one thing for the other? Why does he grieve over that till date?

A girl wants to get the best federal job in the country. But while preparing to get that job, she meets this guy over the Internet who happens to be an old friend. That changes the ways and means of life for her. He makes her smile over those little things in life that she had forgotten. As the sands of time passed, she fell for him because she felt this guy had whatever she expected in a soulmate: head to toe. Both of them are tired of this constriction, but the girl does not want to let go.

But, ultimately this guy leaves her just because the guy's family does not approve of her. The girl just cannot let go of this pain that she got from him, and just cuts herself off from the rest of the world, but with time, she regains that strength to make to that job. She forgives and forgets, and does not feel heavy of what she had to face even when it was not in her part to face.

We see that clearly the girl could make through in a better way through a difficult phase of her life, while the boy cannot overcome that and is still drowning in the mess he created. I do not advocate that one should not make mistakes and fall victim to the mistakes of others. The point to be conveyed is how well do you respond to the demands of life. And to add to this long discussion comes the 9 letter word: obsession.

Disease: Obsession

Symptoms: Absence of mind, preoccupation of mind with troubling thoughts

Vectors: An unstable mind, impatience, unnecessary die-hard attitude towards trivial matters, wrong prioritization of goals in life

Repercussions: Professional and psychological failure, suicidal tendencies

Yes, I believe it is a disease that today's younger generation faces in not only their twenties, but in younger and older generations as well. The lifestyle that we live, the inner urge for sudden success, the attitude of not keeping calm, everything in some part or the other contributes to this obsession. No doubt the world has become competitive with technology and population trying to reach the pinnacle that history has never seen before, but it brings with itself the psychological doom that no elder generation would want its younger generation to suffer through.

Let us twist the guy's story a little bit. The guy does fall in love with the girl, he tries his best, does not succeed and sees no success in his personal life. But, he does not grieve, he keeps it clear with the girl that it cannot be done. He helps himself and the girl out of the misery and both move on in peace. Both did not achieve success in their personal life, but that also ensured that both achieved professional success. This sounds a lot better, doesn't it? Let us not assume anything about the future, let us say they must have never achieved that personal success their entire lives. But that did not totally curb them from at least keeping alive in this rough world. They survived. End of story, no good or bad assumptions.

No doubt, the decisions we make in our twenties do decide the direction of life, but that does not mean everyone shall or will achieve what they obsess about. Sometimes, patience and letting go of the nicer things in life for the bigger picture pays a long way. The key to a life without regret IS patience and adaptation. Love when you are ready, and not when you are lonely. Work for a cause only if it comes without effort and with your skill. Speak the truth so that you do not have to count for your lies. Keep practicing without expectations the skill you wish to master. Be fearless and consider yourself lucky to die in peace if you do get a peaceful one. That's all I had to say today. But before I end this discussion, lets add something to that entry of the book of diagnosis of disorders in life.

Disease: Obsession

Symptoms: Absence of mind, preoccupation of mind with troubling thoughts

Vectors: An unstable mind, impatience, unnecessary die-hard attitude towards trivial matters, wrong prioritization of goals in life

Repercussions: Professional and psychological failure, suicidal tendencies

Prevention: A healthy mindset and a clear outlook to life. Patience.

Cure: Adaptation to the changes that drown you.