OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums General Discussion Forum Off Topics Collections

Hello Norm, Gizmo, Patrick and all

As Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney) said in the masterpiece
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, "It's a fool that looks for logic in the
chambers of the human heart".

I thank Norm for raising this provocative issue.

People will collect whatever people will collect.
Collecting is one part genetic and one part emotional experience.
The 'mature' collector will manage these by reason.

Patrick has said - better than I - how early influences impact
on later preferences.

The genetic part is what Gizmo suggests could be a 'disease'.
I have found that mower collecting goes through phases. In the initial
phase, the collector finds it difficult to say 'No'. The genetic
predisposition is dominant and collection numbers rapidly grow.

At some point reason (or necessity) takes hold, and their is a 'culling
of the collection'. At this point the collector becomes more discerning-
perhaps deciding on a specialty area. This is the mature phase that
has the 'disease' under control. Reason takes control of the passions,
but with an ironic twist: the discerning collection exists because of
an even stronger emotional attachment.

And it's back to the pub now from him.