Obsessions...I have a couple of those.
At first I wanted to write this blog post about all the obsessions that I have. But I kept getting them confused with my passions. I soon decided that I didn't really know the difference between them (this is a wee bit embarrassing since I've used both of these words for years). According to the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary (sometime I use the resources I recommend to my students!)---
Passion is: a powerful emotion or its expression, esp. the emotion of love, anger, or hate
While
Obsession is: the control of one’s thoughts by a continuous, powerful idea or feeling, or the idea or feeling itself
When I asked the people in the Christmas Cabin living room what they thought, the majority of the people felt thought that obsession has a negative connotation while passion has a positive connotation. I.E.....
Passion = Good Obsession = Bad
However after looking at the definitions, I'm not so sure I agree with that assumption. The idea of being controlled by one powerful idea isn't instantaneously repulsive to me. It seems like people all over the world are consumed, controlled, obsessed with one powerful idea and are using that drive to create amazing change and bless others. Maybe we don't like the idea of being controlled by something, even if it is our own thoughts? I don't know.
What I do know is that maybe I've been too quick to judge obsessions. Maybe it's not so bad to have an obsession.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Obsessions may not be so bad as I thought. Just make sure they're good ones.
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