I’m not going to throw anyone under the bus, but a brother reached out to me directly and said he was tired of certain posts and certain people. He asked me how I could keep engaging with a particular brother and even suggested I should boycott that person’s posts. I ignored the message, but I want to say this publicly: This is a Brotherhood of Scent, not a gang. I am not here for followers, I am here to exchange opinions and knowledge. If I want followers, I can start a YouTube Channel !!! I’m not participating in cliques, group pressure, or ganging up on individuals. I’m here for one reason only: the shared love of fragrance. Looking around, it’s obvious there is sometimes an “us against them” mentality here, and it’s a shame. You can see it in the posts, the comments, the likes, the alliances, and the way some people purposely ignore others. It happens to me, it happens to others, and it happens more than some people want to admit. It's even more ironic that the person who reached out to me is one of the biggest offenders. I can’t tell people how to think, but if this is your mentality, you may want to re-examine your values. I will engage with anyone here, whether I agree with them or not. If someone disagrees with me, I’ll either re-examine my own point of view or I’ll respond respectfully. That is how discussion is supposed to work. As the saying goes, you like what you like. In my world, I’m always searching for the very best, whether that means the best clone, the best niche, or the best designer. That’s how I enjoy this hobby. Differences of opinion are not a problem for me. They are welcomed, respected, and worth exploring. A lot of times, hearing a different perspective has taught me something valuable or even changed my direction. I would much rather someone challenge my fragrance selections or disagree with me in a real way that helps me grow my collection! rather than just being a yes man. If you give me input, or I give you input, and it goes against either one of our opinions—whether it is about quality, value, or fragrance selection—it is welcomed. My response is not going to be hurt feelings. My response is going to be: " Why do you feel that way? You are not going to hurt my feelings. Either the conversation helps me grow my fragrance knowledge, or I stay the course because it is simply something I want to do. Either way, it is not going to make me lose sleep, and it is definitely not going to make me lose interest in the group.

Separation anxiety is not just something you see with dogs or humans. Fragrance collectors deal with it too, and I think a lot of people in the hobby do not talk about it enough. There is something strangely hard about getting rid of fragrances, even the ones you never wear, the ones that do not fit your style anymore, or even the cheapies you know you could replace without much effort. On paper, letting them go should be easy. In reality, it usually is not. Part of it is simple attachment. Once a bottle has been in your collection for a while, it stops feeling like just another fragrance. It starts feeling like part of your journey. Maybe it reminds you of a phase when you were first learning notes. Maybe it was one of the first fragrances that made you realize there was more out there than the average designer counter scent. Maybe it was a blind buy that taught you what you do not like. Even a fragrance that is not great can still hold value because of where it fits in your story as a collector. Another part of it is the “what if” factor. What if your taste changes later? What if one random day that cheapie ends up being exactly what you are in the mood for? What if you sell it and later realize it did something unique that your higher-end bottles do not do? Fragrance collecting is emotional, and a lot of bottles stay because of possibility, not reality. They stay because of what they could be, not what they actually are in your day-to-day wear. Then there is the money side, but not always in the way people think. Sometimes it is not that the bottle was expensive. Sometimes it is the opposite. Because it is a cheapie, there is not much financial reward in selling it, so you tell yourself you might as well keep it. It becomes easier to justify hanging onto ten bottles you never wear because each one feels too insignificant to bother moving. But over time those “not worth selling” bottles start taking up physical space and mental space. They clutter shelves, drawers, and even your decision-making.