The Danger Of Being Saturated By 'Bests'

I am obsessed with art. More, I can say, than most people tend to be. I dig deep into how I feel about every book, film, song and poem I might come across. I write them down in some capacity, I constantly update how I feel about things as time goes by. I discuss them with my friends if I can or online.

I use Letterboxd in a very diligent way. I use Goodreads updates a bit more than anyone in their right mind should(I hate many parts of that site, but there’s literally nothing better right now.). I have a last.fm account that tracks my music listening habit.

I’m obsessed with finding the BEST, in bright bold letters. I can logically understand that there is no such thing as the best. I’ve seen so many bests at this point that it’s hard to even keep track of which one I like the most.

Let me get this straight, I do end up loving these so-called bests… There’s always a reason why people love them. But… I’ve started to grow afraid.

What if I run out of ‘bests’? What if my rigid standards grow so high that I can’t enjoy any art? What if my own thirst for good art drives me out of the good art already around me.

What if in the pursuit of the superlative… I grow to become superficial.

At the core of it, the best art has to be very subjective. It varies from person to person. Some may not know how to even begin to answer this question. Others might go for the one that’s popular. Still others might have had one, but it changes constantly every few months or so.

I have had art that lasts for years as my personal favourites. Works that continue to inspire and move me exactly like I first experienced them.

But with that comes a fear.

So as an exercise, I’ve slowly started to experience things that I would usually scoff at.

I started getting into K-pop, the music form that is ridiculed for being enjoyed by teen girls all around the world. And there’s a lot to appreciate and love even for a person like me.

I’ve read books that make zero sense to me, at least at first.

My reasoning is that, if it’s loved by at least one person… I need to find out how they see this art so that I can learn to enjoy it like them.

I’ve started watching movies that are completely out of my wheelhouse, trying to find unique things to appreciate, and this experiment has lowered my tolerance for enjoying movies. I’ve grown a lot more forgiving of what I perceive to be mistakes, and more understanding.

I think the major problem with what I was doing earlier is that I was saturated with great things. There was no contrast. I didn’t let myself experience anything that could potentially be bad. That meant I had no baseline any more.

I was comparing ‘bests’ to other ‘bests’.

Look, I’m not saying it will work for you, but try that one thing that you find truly repulsive and goes against every core of your identity.

It’s only due to the darkness of the night sky that we ever even notice how bright the stars can shine. If the sky was filled with light, we’d never be able to appreciate each star for what it is.