Admiration vs Obsession

Barry Manilow. A man that women all over the world adore. A man that causes women to do what the rest of the world would consider absurd, just to get a glimpse of him. A man who women will pay over $1000 just for five minutes of his time, an autographed program and a photograph. A man whose career has spanned over 30 years and continues to attract huge crowds of fans to his show in Las Vegas.

Just recently, hundreds of Brits stood outside for over 24 hours in the pouring rain and cold to get a chance to talk to him for 5 minutes and get an autograph. He had not been in London for many years and the fans still showed up for a chance to look into his baby blue eyes and hear a kind word from the man they admire.

However, at what point does this admiration become obcession? At what point does this admiration turn into stalking? At what point do you stop and ask yourself have you crossed the line from admiring the man and his music to obcessing over every little detail of his life as if he were a personal friend or a member of your family?

The dictionary defines obsession as: compulsive preoccupation with a fixed idea often accompanied by symptoms of anxiety; an unhealthy and compulsive preoccupation with something or someone.

God is all about balance. And so is Barry for that matter. I'm sure he would never want any of his fans obsessed with him. Although he adores his fans and says so at every opportunity, he would probably shutter to know the depths of some of their personal compulsions and preoccupations.

Just something to ponder.

Signing off for now,
Texas Fanilow