Why do we collect things?

Why do we collect things? We find something we like and are passionate about, and collect as many things related to passion to keep for ourselves. But what do we do with them. Do we play with our highly collectable Star Wars action figures, or keep them safe and clean in their plastic packaging because it makes them valuable? Do we hang up a Green Day poster in our room because we are an actual Green Day fan, or is it just to complete the aesthetic? What about Vinyl Records? Those are becoming popular again with some youth, but why? Vinyl records have become obsolete with CD's, IPod's, and now our the aux chord. Anything can be collectable for any reason, but one reason is always different from another.

As humans we feel the need to attach ourselves to something, that is just how we are. An addiction is the wrong thing to be attached to, and following your favorite sports team or politician just seems to lead to controversy nowadays. But why a collection? Maybe it is the easiest way to attach to something. Collecting something shows your passion for something. Lets say you love Marvel, the comic book empire dominating the cinema. Naturally we can expect to find a collection of comic books, Marvel movies, posters with Robert Downey Jr. rocking the Iron Man suit, and the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack blaring through your speakers. You are a fan and not afraid to show it. Perhaps you devote your life to the Green Bay Packers, and you have bobbleheads and football cards across the shelf, and an Aaron Rodgers jersey on your back. Now you are showing your support for something your passionate about. Sometimes things are trends though, and then they take control of our collections.

Not all collections might be out of passion, but out of trends. If you went through the card game phase with YU-GI-OH and Pokemon, you know how important it was to have a collection of good cards just to be cool. This collection controls us as it is just a trend. Maybe it is a passion for some people, but it could also be a mindset thats tricks us into thinking its a passion. Vinyl records are back, but why? Those are collectable now because maybe they are a timepiece. Timepieces are highly collectable right? Maybe we are jealous that we didn't grow up in the generation where Vinyl Records were popular, therefor we never got the chance to appreciate them. Now we have to fool ourselves into thinking that we were apart of the generation that used them so we can tell everyone else about how great they are. Or maybe its just simply aesthetic and we have a personal reason the appreciate them.

Collecting things are important to us as humans. We attach to things and look for the fun in it, but all for different reasons. What's your reason for collecting?