Essay/Term paper: Novelty never lasts

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Philosophy Essays

Novelty Never Lasts


One thing I have recently begun to learn in life is that the novelty of
anything, given a little bit of time, no matter how fascinating or unusual it
was at first, usually wears off quicker than one would prefer. I have found
this to apply to nearly everything I have experienced in my life, and a
frightening term comes to mind. "jaded." At least it should be frightening to a
mere seventeen year old, with so much left to do in life. I am more than
confident that this is just a passing phase, but nonetheless I have discovered
how quickly the novelty of certain things can wear off from the experience I
have had in the jobs I have held and from the repeated action of doing anything
that I find enjoyable on a regular basis.
Through the jobs I have held both at a local pizza restaurant and movie
theater, I have found that any novelty that pizza and movies once had is no
longer there. I can easily remember back before my first job at the pizzeria
when I savored the opportunity to eat pizza as often as I could. Now, thanks to
the fact that I ate pizza almost every time I worked during that year, pizza
just doesn't taste that good anymore. Whenever my family orders a pizza for
dinner, I really don't look forward to it as much as I used to. Instead, I just
shrug it off, "Pizza, big deal, what else do we have to eat?" This same loss of
appreciation has happened with my second job as well. I have been working at
Sony Theater's Palace Nine for about four months now, and I can easily say that
I don't really enjoy an outing to the movies as much as I used to enjoy them.
Probably because I see them all for free now, but mostly because I know exactly
how the movie theater works, I no longer experience the same thrill about going
to the movies that I once did. I know all the ins and outs of the business I
need to, and I am no longer fascinated by the movie theater industry. I find
this loss of appreciation unfortunate to say the least, but at least I was
making some money in the process.
I have also found that novelty can wear off through the repeated action
of doing anything that I find enjoyable on a regular basis. A couple examples
of this would be billiards and traveling. Last year, my friends and I would
drive up to the VIP pool hall almost every weekend and shoot pool until
midnight; and we really enjoyed it. Now we only go the pool hall if there is
absolutely nothing else in the world to do. My loss of interest in pool is not
half as distressing as my loss of interest in traveling. My lack of interest in
seeing new places is nothing short of a tragedy I feel, and it, like other
things, is a result of doing it too much. Just about every summer, spring break
or Christmas vacation my family travels to a new part of the country, or a new
part of another country. It seems to me like we've been to so many places
around the United States that there isn't much left to see, even though I know
this is not true. I think it is really sad that the actual fun of traveling to
new places isn't as fun as it used to be, but I am confident that this jadedness
is just a passing phase.
In the past year, I have unfortunately discovered the truth behind the
cliché that "familiarity breeds contempt." While I don't hold these activities
in contempt (yet), I certainly no longer look forward to movies, pizza, playing
pool, or traveling with quite the same interest and enthusiasm I used to bring
to the activities. Perhaps it is time to find some new hobbies.