Which do you like best, the action or the object?

I’m not sure it’s a question of what I like best. I have an acoustic guitar that I’ve owned for 24 years. I love playing music – especially that guitar. But I have some connection to the guitar as well. It’s a cheap Epiphone with some cracks and more than a couple of issues with the neck. But somehow, I love playing that guitar. If something were to happen to it, I’d just get another guitar. But it wouldn’t sound exactly like that guitar. So, while I like playing guitar in the larger sense, I really enjoy playing that guitar most of all.

I have known people who have had similar relationships with other objects, including bikes.

Additionally, bike maintenance is an action itself. I can see how someone can fall in love with the act of building and maintaining a high quality bike. Just think of the act of making music. Some people enjoy writing and creating music even more than consuming it.

I don’t like gaming, I just like saving money while not being bored and games help me with that.

Is it an either / or choice?

I think that neither stands alone. It’s the combination that gives value. In your case, love of biking requires a bicycle. In your friend’s case, mechanical tinkering is his passion but he requires a bike to tinker with, t be fulfilled.

Your question is sort of like: which is more important, your heart or your lungs?

For me, it is a combination. I prefer the action to the equipment but I do develop an affinity for certain pieces. At least they acquire a certain sentimental value.

When I was actually caving it was hard for me to give up my seat harness I used for rapelling. It was a strong, trustworthy piece of equipment, the first I had purchased and I had it for years. I realized it was approaching the end of its life, becoming worn and the stitching beginning to fail but I just kept using it. I finally had to take my knife and slice it into three pieces to force myself to buy a new one. It was an emotional experience.

@elbanditoroso No it’s not an either/or, it’s a question about relative values. I do certainly agree that the object enables the action and the action justifies the object and together there is synergy. I was just curious to see if people were polarised like the bike shop man and me and what it was about the action and the object that stirred them.

Well I sure don’t love my feet.

Object: Vagina
Action: Sex
Nope, can’t choose, like both :D

I love photography. I love taking photographs and I love my camera. I’m a bit of a geek and left to my own devices and given bottomless pockets I could quite easily go into a shopping frenzy and buy more cameras. I don’t need them. I have two and lenses to go with them. I think I’d have to sit on the fence if I had the opportunity.

Difficult question. I have two top hobbies: Reading, and dog training.

With the dogs, it’s complicated. My older dog is not as active as she used to be, play and training sessions are getting shorter. I still love her to bits.

In general, though, I think I mostly love the process of teaching animals. A dog’s personality is very important to me, for that reason. Though I can appreciate all dogs, there are plenty I am incompatible with. While typing this, there is a crazy Border Collie-mix staring at me. I enjoy spending time with him, but his intense personality can drive me nuts at times – when we’re getting ready for a walk, he gets so worked up the excitement makes him sneeze over and over again. I’ll take a laid-back dog any day!

With reading, it is definitely the action. I am attached to some childhood books, but if I know I will not ever read a book again, I am usually fine giving it away.