Becoming Fascinated

Fascinated: attracting the strong attention and interest of someone.
A snake deprives a prey of the ability to resist or escape by the power of a gaze: the serpent fascinates its prey.
ORIGIN: late 16th century from Latin fascinat- ‘bewitched’, from fascinum ‘spell, witchcraft’.

As we can see, being fascinated by a subject, although interesting, blinds us to direct experience. We put a veneer, a decorative layer, on to whatever we see, and become proud of our appreciation, and … Zap! The serpent has us 😀

Emotions are like that!