Collecting=Madness

Dear all,

A thought came into my mind about the very nature of collecting (any thing) combined with the human nature. I've reached a conclusion that collecting is addicting, frustrating, has no limits, and misleading.

How many of you (especially the serious ones with hundreds of figurines) actually satisfied with your collection (enormous as it is)? We buy and buy and buy and yet, as if there is a hole within our souls, the pleasure of hunting-having-watching these newly acquired figures quickly vanishes into that dark hole in our souls, urging us to buy (once again) more and more figures so that we'd feel happy (again...). This is a mad cycle in search of happiness that addicting us into spending huge amounts of money to satisfy an insatiable desire. By being so misled, we end up with space issues, lack of money, and displeased soul - is it worth? Perhaps collecting is fun just because of that very momentary pleasure of just receiving the new and exciting figure? Maybe that's the reason we keep doing this?

I would like to know what you guys think.

Gabe wrote:

Dear all,

A thought came into my mind about the very nature of collecting (any thing) combined with the human nature. I've reached a conclusion that collecting is addicting, frustrating, has no limits, and misleading.

How many of you (especially the serious ones with hundreds of figurines) actually satisfied with your collection (enormous as it is)? We buy and buy and buy and yet, as if there is a hole within our souls, the pleasure of hunting-having-watching these newly acquired figures quickly vanishes into that dark hole in our souls, urging us to buy (once again) more and more figures so that we'd feel happy (again...). This is a mad cycle in search of happiness that addicting us into spending huge amounts of money to satisfy an insatiable desire. By being so misled, we end up with space issues, lack of money, and displeased soul - is it worth? Perhaps collecting is fun just because of that very momentary pleasure of just receiving the new and exciting figure? Maybe that's the reason we keep doing this?

I would like to know what you guys think.

Hi Gabe,

extreme-collecting like me and some others is a fulltime-job. I usually watch auctions and news about animals for 7 days a week, nearly 10 - 14 hours at a day. My collection is more than 6.500 pieces and i find nearly every day some interesting figures. Collecting is more than fun, it is a exercise for a whole life.

Torben

Thanks for sharing your view, dear Torben.
Human nature can never be satisfied (happy) for a long time - that was my point. Hence, happiness is never a "lifelong condition" but a momentary one - exists from one moment to another, never a "straight line."

So I applied this theory to the addiction of collecting - at the end of the day, when we look at the old figures we once were so excited to purchase no emotion remains - only space issues and fears of one day losing it all...

"Possession means worries and luggage bags one has to drag along"

At the moment, no I am not satisfied with my collection, but it only stands at maybe 400 figures so far. And I hope that I never will be !

I use to collect TY Beanies and when my collection got to around 700, I got bored with them because I was satisfied with my collection. Now they are just in the attic waiting for me to do something with them.

I love the thrill of receiving a new figure. Like today I got a Schleich Oryx as a trade. One I have been looking for a while and I haven't stopped talking about it all day. I'm sure my family are fed up of hearing about every new arrival

Dark hole, yes I said no more looking on eBay once I paid for the last lot but already I have found 27 more to bid one !

It's a never ending vicious, expensive circle and I like it !

Rio, Rio, Rio... I liked what you wrote at the end: "I like it!"

If it, this madness, makes you happy, then the heck with everything! Keep doing it! The problem with me is that I'm a little confused and am not sure if I'm happy with that.
Perhaps I should take a little break.

I enjoy collecting. I enjoy the thrill of the search for that special item that I lack and the adrenaline that runs through my body during the last few minutes of the auction waiting to see if I won. The thrill when I do win and then that special day when it finally arrives in the mail. I also enjoy taking the photos and sharing with all you wonderful people so I am not the only one enjoying them. I also collect books and lots of other things, so space is very limited in my house. I know I can't take any of them with me when I die, but I can enjoy them while I am here. I can also enjoy the look on my daughter's face when she sees them and get to hear her thoughts on them. Most she likes, but some she thinks are ugly. That is the way it goes though. It is fun and addicting. As long as there is a figure I don't have, my collection will not be complete. The only one I want to complete is Schleich and I plan on doing that. Every year my collection will grow because every year there will be new ones to collect. Once I finish the ones I am still searching for, it won't cost as much because all I will have to get are the new releases.

Here are my two cents... For the ancient members, you know I did it sometimes elsewhere so I would understand you pass other this.

Collecting is a part of my life and goes throught the same rules and cycles: sometimes it is obsessive, sometimes I think about something else, sometimes I decide to leave a part of my collection because I'm fed up.. and sometimes I regret my choices. Well, nothing new under the sun indeed

In my whole life I always love to feel free ( to feel... not sure I am ah ah).I hate rigid programs, I don't like to know what I will do on my holidays or in 2010, 2011... I hate thinking " it will be that way for the rest of my life" . I love to think that my life can go out of the railway if I wish

It's the same for my collection. I've got 1500 wild animals at home but I used to have more. I let a lot of stuff go away from me but not for money reasons : I like to see my collection improving but not necessarily growing.

I don't want to collect every animals, every variations of every brands. I know some of our friend collect that way and I respect them of course... But I am unable to do so.

CHOICE :
The most important thing for me is to make choice : which animal, which model, which variation will be or not in my collection ? Sometimes it is easy : Papo's Cape buffalo or PHAT's shoebill are in without hesitation, Papo's zebras and SCHLEICH last tigers are out the same way.
Sometimes I need to think about it a long time : Safari's armadillo will be in soon and maybe Bullyland deluxe moose but I think about them for months now.

DISCOVERY :
I began my collection with old and antiques brands and I like it because it's always fun to discover unknown animals, unknown manufacturers from the past. I love surprise. It is for the same reason I love to hunt on exotic jungle like Japan.

TIME IS ON MY SIDE :
I'm patient, I enjoy thinking about an animal I don't have and I can do it for years. Last year, my woman gave me the Lineol's pangolin and sloth for my birthday. I dreamed of them for a very long time and they came at last, it was fantastic !

THE LOST :

Gabe wrote:

Thanks for sharing your view, dear Torben.
Human nature can never be satisfied (happy) for a long time - that was my point. Hence, happiness is never a "lifelong condition" but a momentary one - exists from one moment to another, never a "straight line."

So I applied this theory to the addiction of collecting - at the end of the day, when we look at the old figures we once were so excited to purchase no emotion remains - only space issues and fears of one day losing it all...

"Possession means worries and luggage bags one has to drag along"

At the end of the day, when I look at old figures without emotions I know it's time for them to leave me and I'm not afraid to loose them. I need an exit door.

SO ?
My collection is like a "private" club. You need a pass to enter, you may wait for years to be admit in and once your are a member there is still an opportunity to be fired one day ! Life is cruel for toys you know...

SO ?
Try to be the master Good luck

BY THE WAY...

This VIP are welcome as distinguished guest in my club. If someone here knows them...

Gabe wrote:

Rio, Rio, Rio... I liked what you wrote at the end: "I like it!"

If it, this madness, makes you happy, then the heck with everything! Keep doing it! The problem with me is that I'm a little confused and am not sure if I'm happy with that.
Perhaps I should take a little break.

Gabe, I don't know if what I already write can help so...

Take it easy, there is several ways to rule your collection or your life and you have time to find your way.

Up or down, upside down, life is an ever changing matter.

Thanks so much, Amy and Kiki!
Your comments really helped me sort things out the right way!
I decided to continue collecting, 'cause I enjoy it, and just forget all these other disturbing thoughts that come along sometimes.
We're all into this because we love and enjoy it, and that's what I'm gonna concentrate on: love and joy!

THANK YOU!

Kikimalou wrote:

Sometimes I need to think about it a long time : Safari's armadillo will be in soon and maybe Bullyland deluxe moose but I think about them for months now.

I'm patient, I enjoy thinking about an animal I don't have and I can do it for years. Last year, my woman gave me the Lineol's pangolin and sloth for my birthday. I dreamed of them for a very long time and they came at last, it was fantastic !

As the self creates itself, it begats the world which it will inhabit. If you take these collector thoughts and "ritualize" them, then you are well on your way to utilizing "magical practice" as a vital adjunct to the "collecting" process.....

schleich61 wrote:

As the self creates itself, it begats the world which it will inhabit. If you take these collector thoughts and "ritualize" them, then you are well on your way to utilizing "magical practice" as a vital adjunct to the "collecting" process.....

Magical practice ? ... ??? !!! But I don't collect rabbits

Ritual ? I don't collect them anymore because I lost a lot in the past

But I still collect bad habits

Kikimalou wrote:

schleich61 wrote:

As the self creates itself, it begats the world which it will inhabit. If you take these collector thoughts and "ritualize" them, then you are well on your way to utilizing "magical practice" as a vital adjunct to the "collecting" process.....

Magical practice ? ... ??? !!! But I don't collect rabbits

AAARGH...pulling rabbits from hats is the stuff of the master CONJURER. A real MAGICIAN is made of quite different stuff. David Copperfield, Harry Blackstone, etc. were CONJURERS, but Merlin and Co. were real MAGICIANS... :)

Kikimalou wrote:

But I still collect bad habits

You must reside very near a nunnery...!

First, i was a kind of shocked, to read what Gabe wrote in the start of this tread, because there were so much things that are exactly like that...
On the other way..., i don't care, i just like to collect, and this was so for my whole life!
I collected so many different things through the years, and did let them go again too, for several reasons...
But the most of these collections were something complete different from animal-figurines, because i always kept them, specially the good and older ones, i never let them go before.
So this already showed, that i had a special place for them.

Well, we humans are still gatherers and hunters, and this shows, specially with people like us.
But it is like Amy said too, the hunt is one part of the fun too!
I can walk around my vitrines, talking to myself, and explaining which model is what, which brand, which period or what species, like i would do with other people visiting my house, and this happens a lot, as i have lots of people over the floor to buy tropical fish, and they are interested in this stuff most of the time too as nature-lovers.

As the older members know, i do collect all of the brands, from all times and all scales, no limits at all.
That i probably can't complete all of them is clear to me too, so this will help to keep me hungry, and i will always be on the hunt for some models.
This means, that it will be a never ending story for me, and that is another part of the fun too.

There are many many people who collect nothing, and it is very hard to make these people(including the ones near to you) understand which kind of happyness it brings for us collectors, in so many ways, we don't even understand it for ourselfs sometimes...
So what i want to say is, that i actually don't care if we are a kind of crazy, or that other people think so, i just want to do what makes me happy in life.
People who don't like that can stay away if they want or not...
I am the king of my own castle and life, and you must come from another planet to get me out of this position!
And when i die, i want to die happily, and with thousands of animal-models around me, why not?
When i am dead, and have nothing then lots of money..., what then, and for what use?
You have to enjoy your life to the fullest, and as far as possible, your time on earth is just limited!
So collect till you drop down, haha!!!

Wise words, my friend.
I enjoyed reading it. :)

Thank you Gabe.
Just out of the eye of a "mad"collector...

This is an interesting topic. Collecting = Madness. It is all how you look at it. When it came to the Schleich figures I was attracted to the beauty and the detail of the figures. I have missed my country life since moving to the city, and I like to have beauty around me in the form of the amazing creatures / figures that Schleich has replicated. There definitely is a adrenaline rush in winning an auction and opening the parcel when it arrives. I do enjoy looking at them ~ they are a form of artwork to me ~ and something I can afford! :) I also don't plan on owning them all. I have found that once I receive a figure if it really doesn't "touch" me, then I plan on trading or selling it. But you don't have to have a reason to like or dislike any one figure. In some it may touch a happy memory of childhood past and that is good. I love the Western Theme as I also like American History. When I started out collecting, which only began this year, :) I was telling myself I was collecting them for my "far in the future" grandchildren, but now I have for them a collection of "used condition" figures. Can't have them "playing" with "The Collection"! :)
But you know it all comes down to asking "Where is your heart?" Do you collect for pleasure or is it an obsession? How much of your time and money does it take? Does it draw you away from your family and friends, isolating yourself away from reality, or does it open your eyes to the beauty around you and the desire to share your time and collection and knowledge with others?
Are you able to (without going crazy) take time from your Collecting / Ebay searching? If a child came along and had that sparkle in their eye and excitement in their voice for a particular figure you owned ~ would you just give it to them, without remorse, but joy in your heart? I then would say it is not an obsession. Hobbies are practiced for interest and enjoyment and engaging in a Hobby can lead to developing skill, knowledge and experience and in some cases it can also lead to becoming a business!
Balance your a life with goodness, justice and generosity, spending time and making memories with loved ones, being open to the needs around you. These are your true treasures. ~ Sue

"For where your treasure is there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21

Suebeedo wrote:

This is an interesting topic. Collecting = Madness. It is all how you look at it. When it came to the Schleich figures I was attracted to the beauty and the detail of the figures. I have missed my country life since moving to the city, and I like to have beauty around me in the form of the amazing creatures / figures that Schleich has replicated. There definitely is a adrenaline rush in winning an auction and opening the parcel when it arrives. I do enjoy looking at them ~ they are a form of artwork to me ~ and something I can afford! :) I also don't plan on owning them all. I have found that once I receive a figure if it really doesn't "touch" me, then I plan on trading or selling it. But you don't have to have a reason to like or dislike any one figure. In some it may touch a happy memory of childhood past and that is good. I love the Western Theme as I also like American History. When I started out collecting, which only began this year, :) I was telling myself I was collecting them for my "far in the future" grandchildren, but now I have for them a collection of "used condition" figures. Can't have them "playing" with "The Collection"! :)
But you know it all comes down to asking "Where is your heart?" Do you collect for pleasure or is it an obsession? How much of your time and money does it take? Does it draw you away from your family and friends, isolating yourself away from reality, or does it open your eyes to the beauty around you and the desire to share your time and collection and knowledge with others?
Are you able to (without going crazy) take time from your Collecting / Ebay searching? If a child came along and had that sparkle in their eye and excitement in their voice for a particular figure you owned ~ would you just give it to them, without remorse, but joy in your heart? I then would say it is not an obsession. Hobbies are practiced for interest and enjoyment and engaging in a Hobby can lead to developing skill, knowledge and experience and in some cases it can also lead to becoming a business!
Balance your a life with goodness, justice and generosity, spending time and making memories with loved ones, being open to the needs around you. These are your true treasures. ~ Sue

"For where your treasure is there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21

Amen

Gabe wrote:

...We buy and buy and buy and yet, as if there is a hole within our souls, the pleasure of hunting-having-watching these newly acquired figures quickly vanishes into that dark hole in our souls, urging us to buy (once again) more and more figures so that we'd feel happy (again...). This is a mad cycle in search of happiness that addicting us into spending huge amounts of money to satisfy an insatiable desire. By being so misled, we end up with space issues, lack of money, and displeased soul - is it worth? Perhaps collecting is fun just because of that very momentary pleasure of just receiving the new and exciting figure? Maybe that's the reason we keep doing this?

You're right. I have remedy to this issue in making zoogeographic displays. If I have a certain display - I'm eager to fill it with new animals. If I have none - my collection fever is just smoldering, not burning.

Gabe wrote:

Human nature can never be satisfied (happy) for a long time - that was my point. Hence, happiness is never a "lifelong condition" but a momentary one - exists from one moment to another, never a "straight line."

I think you're wrong in equaling satisfaction with happiness - these are diffrenet things. Happiness is an inner (rejoicing) state of soul, it can't be staggered by any external factors.

Collecting=Fortuna labilis

Kyriuha wrote:

I think you're wrong in equaling satisfaction with happiness - these are diffrenet things. Happiness is an inner (rejoicing) state of soul, it can't be staggered by any external factors.

Wise distinction, Kyril.

I just found this string, dating from long before I joined the Forum.

Usually I just browse through, but here I read every word, it is very, very interesting, - why do we do it ????

A couple of weeks ago I read that collecting can be an addiction bordering to an illness just like gambling can. Makes you think

The feelings already described in this link, I know them .The feeling, when the seconds count down on an auktion, - my pulse goes up, sometimes, if it is something I REALLY want, I even sweat and my hands tremble

Well, then rather this illness for plastic animals than being ill for collecting money under the bed

Gabe wrote:

Dear all,

A thought came into my mind about the very nature of collecting (any thing) combined with the human nature. I've reached a conclusion that collecting is addicting, frustrating, has no limits, and misleading.

How many of you (especially the serious ones with hundreds of figurines) actually satisfied with your collection (enormous as it is)? We buy and buy and buy and yet, as if there is a hole within our souls, the pleasure of hunting-having-watching these newly acquired figures quickly vanishes into that dark hole in our souls, urging us to buy (once again) more and more figures so that we'd feel happy (again...). This is a mad cycle in search of happiness that addicting us into spending huge amounts of money to satisfy an insatiable desire. By being so misled, we end up with space issues, lack of money, and displeased soul - is it worth? Perhaps collecting is fun just because of that very momentary pleasure of just receiving the new and exciting figure? Maybe that's the reason we keep doing this?

I would like to know what you guys think.

...Hello, Gabe (Gabriel)! I,ve just red this your message! You are the philosopher! It,s the question which was standing up in front of each other! ... In general I,m agree with Christoph and Willy! I,ll say my opinion some later... I love your reflection! It,s a norm for every collector without nation! Your Sergey!

I have a B.A. in Philosophy...