The collector´s disease?
It is not clear how or when it begins,
neither the reason that leads you to acquire and buy and keep. Why you do that?
In my case I could suggest some reasons to justify myself and be in peace with
my soul (and my wife). Nostalgia could be the very first. Nostalgia is a
powerful and dangerous soothing and the past a wonderful place to return.
Once I read something about a girl who
had the rare ability of remember everything, and when I say everything, I mean
the good and the bad, and not only in a short term, but all the events along
all her life, even since she was a little girl. A prodigious memory you could
say, an amazing gift you may think. Nothing further from the reality. For her
it was the worse of the curses. According to what she stated it was an awful
nightmare to constantly remind all the embarrassing events, shameful situations
and disgraceful annoyances. Because contrary to what happens to de most of the
people, who tends to forget the bad (survival mechanism) and keep the good to
go forward, she was unable to do this, unable to get rid of that whole life
crap backpack. Poor girl…
Fortunately, in my case, as I think
usually happens, when I remind my childhood, adolescence or youth it mainly
evokes me sweet moments of games, fun and happiness. No problems, no
responsibilities. Nostalgia.
Is it possible to go back to that time? Because
sometimes, I need it. Yes. It is possible. How? Very easy…Collecting things
(toys, figures, books, comics, movies, videogames, board games…) that made you
blissful at each period.
And here is when appears the first
symptom of the collector´s disease.
One thing, is not enough. Because the
shot of nostalgia that you get is ephemeral. Very short in time. Perhaps with
your first acquisition the feeling may last a little longer, but the effect is
getting lower and lower till it almost disappears. And, like a drug, you always
need another shot.
Some collectors focus their hobby only
in one specific topic, and their collections spins around it. Lucky them. That
is not my case. I have the misfortune/fortune? of being a multi-collector
collector.
And here is when appears the second
symptom of the collector´s disease.
One collection is not enough. I do not
conceive this hobby/disease, focusing myself just on one topic. I may have been
collecting Marvel and DC comics from years, but suddenly in my 40s, it falls
into my hands a Warhammer 40K videogame, and without knowing anything of that
thrilling universe, it awakes in me the pressing need of finding out everything
of this amazing world. I end up buying EVERYTHING related to this. And I fill
other two or three shelves with W40K books, magazines, videogames, miniatures,
board games… Suddenly, another day it
appears the chance of buying a cheap second-hand Halo Edition XBOX 360. Halo?
What´s that? Oh, my Goodness!!!, Super soldiers, ancient alien breeds who want
to erase the humanity from the universe, epic battles, It´s amazing!!Where have
you been my whole life?? I have to find out more. And three more shelves full
of halo video games, Spartan and Covenant action figures, comics…
One month later I watch on TV a Dragon Ball Z movie, and I think that perhaps I had put aside my Dragon Ball collection for too much time. Let see if I find something interesting on Walla…
And here is when appears the third
symptom of the collector´s disease.
The need of “hunting” is always there, flea markets, flea shops, flea platforms… always ready to seek, search and find, because you never know where and when a treasure is going to appear. No matter how full of junk are my shelves, I´ll find some space, and if I won´t, I always may get rid of something to create more…
And here is when appears the fourth symptom of the collector´s disease.
Suck one of your own elbows is easier than getting rid of any of your trophies. Each issue has a story behind. A story of search, luck or illusion. It has happened to me that I had sold something, and months later I have bought it again. Because for a collector his collection is his life, his shelter and his particular paradise, where you can relax, escape and above all enjoy.
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