Obsession vs Consumption

Most people know what it is to be obsessed, to have something that compels us, drives us to behave in ways we would normally think were uncouth, and to pursue without logic or reason that which we are obsessed with.  Obsession often borders on or crosses over into addiction.  Whilst addiction is much more than a behaviour, it is also a physical and mental condition, it is true to say that for obsession in general it can be described as elective, in other words it is defined by a behaviour that we choose to pursue, whether we have any desire, will, or determination to fight that behaviour is another topic of discussion in and of itself.

Consumption on the other hand whilst related is distinct.  If obsession is elective, we can say consumption is not.  Where an obsession is something we pursue, a consumption on the other hand is something that pursues us, and if we cannot evade it then it eventually consumes us.  Behaviours that are consumptive tend to be forced upon us, causing negative side affects and much psychological distress.  Consumption is best described therefore as destructive.

You might argue that consumption is simply an obsession where we are the subject of that obsession but this is inaccurate.  Consumption doesn't have to involve another person, another thing, it can be something that only involves us as a person on an individual level.  A thought or a feeling can consume us if it has a negative impact upon us and despite our best efforts it still pervades and penetrates our mind.  Consumption in this regard can be seen as anything that festers within our minds, whether that be the result of outside stimuli or whether it be due to unwanted thoughts - the latter of which actually has a psychiatric definition as Intrusive Thought and involves thoughts and thought processes which you cannot ignore.  This is often a symptom of something much deeper at play.  It is perhaps most associated with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder [OCD] but can be symptomatic of other conditions.

Compulsion is related to Consumption however, the latter is centred around influence over the way you think and feel, whereas the former crosses a line into influence over your actual behaviour.  A compulsion is a behaviour that you feel compelled to exhibit and results in intense anxiety when you try to abstain from that behaviour.  Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a condition that requires diagnosis by a professional and is best to be addressed by such professionals.  If your behaviour has become that strongly associated with thoughts that you can't dismiss then it is advisable to consider seeking professional advice.  You might not have any serious conditions it might not be as severe as you've come to believe, but in the event that it is, then you can get the support you need.

Consumption is something that is a part of life, it is only when it begins to impact our lives that it becomes a problem.  Having a one-track-mind or having something that you indulge in quite a lot does not constitute consumption alone, there's a fine line between passion and fixation versus consumption, that line is crossed when you are no longer able to have thoughts that are independent of that which you are consumed by, where you are no longer able to behave in a way, or have experiences of things, which you don't try to link back to your consumption.  If one thing above all else seems to invade your life and become linked to everything you say and do, then you are perhaps being consumed by it. 

The only way that I can see as effective in attempting to break down this process is to create new experiences and have new thoughts that you consciously decide not to associate with it, imposing a segregation between it and everything else - ultimately in an effort to contain it.  To do that you need to be honest with yourself and look inward and see what is consuming you.  Look to see what parts of your life are connected to every other part, if you can identify those which connect to everything else then you can use these as identifiers of possible consuming thoughts or practices.  Once you have identified these practices you then have to set out to create new experiences for yourself, and learn new things that you will set apart from those consumptions.

That which consumes us does not have to be physical, it can be ideological, political, religious, it can eve be things that we think are good for us and we would normally consider them healthy - if they are invading every area of our lives and influencing our thoughts, feelings, and choices, then that influence is unhealthy.

In essence the goal to accomplish in fighting any consumption is the idea of diversity of thought.  That is to say that your thoughts should be able to exist as clouds or bubbles independent of each other, they should form clusters only when those connections are relevant.  To form one mega structure is to form a consumptive thought or idea where everything becomes part of one core.  This amalgamation is unhealthy and limits our ability to experience anything new.  Diversity of thought allows us to build up more efficient thought processes and allows us to experience new things that are not related to what we already know or what we have already experienced.  To have consumptive thought actively encourages you to seek out only that which reinforces what you already know and prevents critical analysis of our own internal representation of the world.  When any belief gathers such a strong presence it becomes incredibly hard to challenge in our minds without causing the whole thing to implode or causing us to feel incredibly vulnerable and feel attacked on a fundamental level.