A Portrait of My Obsession: People, Photography and Travelling - Term Paper Example

A PORTRAIT OF MY OBSESSION: PEOPLE, PHOTOGRAPHY AND TRAVELLING Obsession is a deeply ambiguous term. An attempt at an analysis and comprehensive understanding of the various facets of ‘obsession’, thus, is a highly complicated task. Therefore, I will begin with a brief overview of its psychological definitions and implications. An examination of the historical origin of the term offers a highly ineresting, critical area of study involving various medical, sociological, cultural and psychological discourses. Obsession stems from instinct or subconscious and at times, socially or culturally conditioned need to repeat certain actions or rituals. These actions and rituals may be mental or physical, such as a young adolescent girl worrying about her dark circles every morning, a schoolboy playing trains, or a depressive man obsessively fixated on the notion of death and suicide. Thus, in terms of a more accurate terminology, obsession is a behaviour that causes, as The American Heritage Dictionary puts it, “a compulsive preoccupation with a fixed idea”. This idea may take any form; it may be sex, or food, or alcohol/ drugs, or a person, or may be books. The objects of obsession, therefore, are infinite in their varieties and possibilities. Certain psychological disorders are, of course, accompanied by a symptomatic form of obsessive compulsive behaviour, as schizoid-affective diseases or neurosis. A classic example of obsessive compulsive disorder comes to mind when I think of a certain lady in my neighbourhood, who exhibits such behaviour through painstaking repetitions of individual tasks, an unnatural preoccupation with health and severe ‘germ phobia’, recurrent acts of cleaning and washing. These cases are exemplar of the devastating effect of a schizoid or a neurotic person, and primarily evoke a negative definition and understanding of “obsession”. However, I am primarily concerned with the cultural implication of the term, which offers as an interrelated dynamic when coupled with another word ‘healthy’, thus presenting us with a fascinating conception that challenges the psychological reading, as discussed previously. However, it must be kept in mind; this notion of ‘healthy obsession’ is not free of problems either. As Lennard J. Davies has noted with remarkable aptness and conciseness, in his book Obsession: A History, “Indeed, we live in an age of obsession; or more to the point, an age that is obsessed with obsession.” (3) This message of obsession is integrated into our cultural and social lives through typical Hollywood romances, books featuring characters engulfed with obsessions, magazines and papers casually making use of the word (often out of context), such that obsession with obsession itself has become an integral part of our daily lives. We are, therefore, surrounded with images ranging from film to literature that positively or negative reinforce these ideologies of obsession into our lives. Furthermore, much of the current media coverage and advertisement campaigns exploit the multi-dimensional concept to propagate addictive products and services, like gaming, dating and social networking. While in an age of radical and immense technological advancements, these are inevitable ‘obsessions’, my notion differs slightly from the rest. My idea of obsession is intricate related to ‘passion’, a love for the constructive, subjective and a deeply individual need to explore, understand and explain the world with my own words and on my own terms. A brief overview of the history of humankind will bear evidence of this undeniable fact: Humankind has always been driven by a need to follow its own instincts, a need to assert one’s individual identity by assuming or enacting its role within a framework of various intersecting and conflicting obsessions. If I have an obsession it is not directed towards a specific end or goal, but generally inwards, to a deeper need to perceive and recognise my own self in context of the larger world; both my passion and obsession, therefore, is travelling to new places, meeting new people, trying out new cuisines – in short, witnessing the world in all its diversity and beauty. The thriving cultural and social dynamics of the places I have been to, or wish to go to, pervade my psyche and personality, helping me to grow as a person of taste and intellect. In a world that is divided amongst warring powers and superpowers, my obsessive passion, if I may call it so, then, is to cross borders, break boundaries and reach out to the innate solidarity among people of different colours, races and nations. In this paper, my foremost desire is, thus, to re-examine the sources and the interrelations between my different obsessions – geographical as well as cultural exploration, photography and cuisine - during my travels across my country as well as a few distant places of the world. As a child, I have always been fascinated with maps and models of the world. The technicalities did interest me, but not as much as the possibilities contained within them. I remember carrying an Oxford Atlas in a sling bag along with a few treasured and well-worn copies of Jules Verne and R.L Stevenson. I was particularly entranced with the idea of travel because, as I grew older, and approached adolescence, I realised how geographical journeys across physical spaces that somehow became psychological exploration in the course of every travelogue or adventure novel I’ve ever encountered. My obsession with this duality between physical and psychological journeys stemmed then from an intrinsic love for travel literature and adventure tales. Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island and Around the World in Eighty Days are, in fact, still among my favourite staple reading materials on my travels. My passion for travel gives me a strange sense of release, freedom as well as a much-required space to grow. It bring me in close quarters with the world that I have previously only witnesses and explored in books. The root of this passionate obsession, then, it may be safely assumed, was deeply ingrained within me, since childhood, with books, maps and movies that told of far-away worlds and places of interest. I will, then, narrate, briefly, about my experiences and exploits when I played out my obsession for travelling in reality, when my childhood dreams and passion were realised. Anais Nin has written, “We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.” This undeniable urge to travel, this wanderlust, this instinctive desire to seek, to see, to perceive, to understand, fuels both my passion and obsession. But is that enough to understand the mechanics of my obsession? Is this descriptive enough? I understand and must apologise beforehand for any seeming vagueness. An urge like this cannot be easily explained in explicative terms. So, I will instead attempt to draw a series of interesting anecdotes, observations and notes to assert and expand upon my point. I often link my sub-conscious urge to travel, to leave the confines of home, the closed spaces of institutions and look forward to the broader classroom of the world to rather unlikely compatriot; at the risk of sounding presumptuous, I often think of Ernest Hemingway, and his obsession with war. Here was a man who returned, like moth drawn to fire, to wars and battlefields, repeatedly throughout the course of his live – not in the capacity of a soldier, but at times, as a Red Cross ambulance driver, a journalist or a cook. While he never actively participated in the action of the war, he was nevertheless, incessantly and undeniably drawn to the physical battles that waged around him. I do not know what it was that drew him amidst the raging chaos and violence. I do not think he was drawn by the violence or the need for some sort of sadistic wish-fulfilment. Rather, he claimed to have hated the loss of life and often lamented the utter despair of the wartime in his iconic anti-war novels like The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms. Yet, he never got over his obsession with war. This utter contradiction cannot be resolved by rationality or logic, but can only be appreciated and empathise with, with the sensitivity and inclusivity of thought and feeling. I guess a part of my obsession lies in my instinctive need to interact with and understand the diversity that I find in people of different places and cultures. My passion for travel, as mentioned before, is closely associated with my love for photography. Indeed, they go hand in hand. My love for people, their lives, interests, celebrations, enjoyment, and most importantly, their smiles, are the lifeblood of my obsession. In addition to this, my passion for photography helps me to capture the memories different travels by freezing various moments of beauty in photographs, and bring back these ‘photographic trophies’ home to share with my family and friends. (Kamps 2) A chunk of my budget, thus, goes into both the exploratory as well as the technology related to these random acts of travelling. While necessity and routine often curbs my insatiable desire, I still manage form time to time to indulge in this guilty pleasure of escaping from the confines of the city. From a thorough research on the languages, habits and cultures of the destinations to the proper assembling of camera equipments and associated gadgets, all become a part of the ritualistic behaviour that is at the centre of any obsession. I prefer developing my own film, because the related technologies to film development are equally fascinating to me. In fact, I have converted a small section of my room into a dark room where I give shape to the pictures I capture. I also like to edit the digitised photos and spend my time experimenting with picture tools and editing softwares. I prefer both the manual and the technological aspects of my photography. They are all different, but integral part of my passionate obsession with travel. I guess my obsession towards photography is connected with my obsession for technology. Being an electrical engineering student I am always curious regarding how my surrounding appliances operate and at times I deliberately open their parts and put them together and see if they work. I do the same at times with my camera and want to try different types of cameras. Whenever I her someone’s appliances malfunction I take the initiative to try repairing them without even thinking of money. If I can get it right that gives me the utmost satisfaction. I am also a gadget freak one can say. Whenever someone asks me what git I would like I try to think of the latest electronic gadget I would like to have. I remember my visit to the Himalayas, the first sight of the range almost took my breath away. As I kept working with my camera to capture the heavenly beauty I carelessly stepped on some frozen water on the snow and slipped but even while falling I tried to save my beloved camera and my entire body weight fell on my thumb which was almost numb with pain for the rest of my trip. But I did not cancel the trip as I was mesmerized with the beauty of the white saints. Later on return doctor said there was slight fracture in the finger and I still wonder how I managed the trip. Another trip was to a tulip farm at Woodburn Oregon. It was great farm I saw the happiness on other people eyes and the children were so happy, we enjoyed the colorful flowers. The photos I had taken at Abu Dhabi located in United Arab Emeritus earned lot of praises and the government choose one of them as the photo of the day last week and it hits more than 150,000 views. I really believe perfection comes with practice and passion! Again, coming to my obsession with technology, I still recollect my childhood days when I was busy opening my watches and trying to put them back together and this way I spoiled most of my watches and electronic toys. When I first started using the computers I was more interested in knowing the interior hardware rather than working at it. That is how I learned assembling of computers on my own. Travelling and Technology produce the thirst for more exposure, exploration and adventure. The close involvement with people from different cultures enhances our sense of selfhood. Technology generates involvement with surroundings. Both Technology and Travelling broaden the horizons of my mind and my world – they teach me values of endurance and empathy. In conclusion I would like to cite Rick Steve’s recital of his first overseas travel to Norway at the age of fourteen, in his enlightening book Travel as a Political Act: “Immersed in this grand, chiselled celebration of family and humanity, I gained a new insight into my little world.” (v). References: Davis, Lennard J. Obsession: A History. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2008. Print. Kamps, Haje Jan. Focus on Travel Photography: Focus on the Fundamentals. MA: Focal Press, 2013. Print. Steves, Rick. Travel as a Political Act. New York: Nations Books, 2009. Print. Read More