There are things in this life that give me joy.
I can’t explain any of them. Some things, some concepts and activities, just give me a pulse of joy throughout my body and soul, a fervent stroke of energy and life that says that what I am doing or experiencing is of value, is sacred, is human.
Our society often doesn’t respect passion very much. We’re meant to be quite calm and cynical, getting mildly enthused about various things that are popular and shallow and easy for others to grasp. In our formalized lives there is no time for pure spiritual pleasure, and people who admit to rejoicing are, in my experience, often looked at askance. We don’t seem to use the word “rejoice” very much anymore.
Perhaps that’s today’s definition of “geek:” one who rejoices. If you talk to a geek about the focus (or foci) of their geekery, you have a sense that it’s not mere interest at play, but something deeper.
As an animist, I believe that the divine is everywhere. I can feel a connection to the Gods under whatever circumstances let me do so. I don’t know about others’ experiences. But for me, my obsessions, or the foci of my geekery, could be best described as more direct paths to the divine; in short, for me, my geekery is holy. (Coincidentally, that’s another word we don’t seem to use much anymore.)
Who knows? Maybe that little hobby of yours, the little pastime you dabble in when you have a little spare time, that you don’t like to admit to people because it’s kind of embarrassing - maybe you’ll find you share it with another person, and that it’s not just a hobby, but a way to explore yourself.
Maybe you, too, are a geek.