Monday, February 15, 2010

Too Diverse In Interests?

Someone I know, though I can't say who, not only because this is a public blog, but also because I have no idea, once said that I was "too diverse in interests". Those of you who know me might agree; after all, do you know anyone else who likes reading science fiction, watching shows on Nickelodeon, and listening to classic rock? However, I would say that my diversity in interests is much better, and much more tolerable, than my interests were when I was much younger. If my interests were the same way they were when I was, say, seven years old, then I think I'd have a lot less friends.
What were my interests like when I was younger? Well, as some might say, I pretty much had a one-track mind. From as far back as I can remember until I was about nine, my obsession either was or had something to do with computers. You could have named any place in the universe, even something as fun as Disney World, and I would have still said that I'd rather be in front of my computer playing games than going to whatever place you named. It didn't matter that I'd played the games a thousand times; it didn't matter how fun the other place might have been; all that mattered was that there was nowhere else I would rather be than glued to that monitor. Pretty much all I could talk about was something computer-related. Even when I stopped obsessing over computers in general, my obsession was a computer game series. I didn't think I was obsessed at the time, but, when I think back to when my third grade teacher told me to stop writing about that computer game series in my journal, I'd have to say I most definitely was.
How did the change come about? Well, it actually started when I entered middle school. As you sixth grade classmates of mine might remember, I was obsessed with two things: Scooby-Doo and Pokémon. Those two things had very little to do with each other, but I still plastered pictures of them all over my binder like they were one and the same. Even when I would get obsessed with other things later on, there were still other unrelated interests, like being obsessed with 80's sitcoms but still playing Super Smash Bros. Melee almost every day and listening to contemporary Christian music from the 90's and 00's. You could say that I grew up, and that might be true; or, it could be that I realized that, if you just focus on one thing, you're missing out on a lot.
So, yes, there's really no common thread between the things that I like. However, I don't see that as a bad thing. Why? Simply because it means that I could strike up a conversation with almost anyone in America about something he/she likes. You don't like Anne Hathaway? Well, then we can talk about Star Trek. You're not a fan of sci-fi? Then, we can talk about iCarly. Don't care for Nickelodeon sitcoms? Let's talk about classic rock, then. Maybe that explains why I've been able to strike up so many friendships with various people; for most people, I like something that they like, too. Honestly, I don't see how someone can be too diverse in interests; is there anyone out there who likes absolutely everything in the universe? Of course not. I may be different from everyone else, but that's part of being autistic. You friends of mine understand that, right?

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