One Faith, Many Paths Special: Interview with…Me!

I’ve reached another milestone. This will be my 200th post. I’ve decided mark this occasion by presenting an interview with someone I will interview in the future and allowing him to ask the questions, rather than the other way around. I figured this would be a great way for new readers to know me better.

1. You’ve been a Catholic all your life, and I know your faith is central to your life. Have there been times when you questioned? How did you handle that? I believe that if you go through your life as a Christian without once doubting yourself, then you are spiritually blind.  Yes, I’ve doubted. When I learned about all the atrocities that are often linked to Christianity, I doubted whether I should consider myself part of it. What kept me in the faith was that I reminded myself that I only have my own actions to ask for, not anyone else’s. God knows my heart. I also read up on the saints. When I saw all they did for the glory of God, I wanted to be a part of that.
2. Your autism is another part of you. When did you first realize you were different–even special in terms of those around you? I think it first happened in high school. When I finally became mainstreamed, I never experienced a desire to wear a mask and pretend I was something I wasn’t. Then in college, my counselor told me and my mother that she thought I had Asperger’s. At first, It never really clicked. But my mother insisted that I do research on the disorder, if only to explain it to others. It was that research that opened me to the possibility that it was a gift. It also made me realize that God had possibly meant for me to spend all those years in Special Ed that I had spent for my bad behavior, especially my temper.
3. A follow-up to that–what do you think is the biggest misconception about Autism and Autistic people? I think there are two. The first is that it is something that can be removed or outgrown. While it is true that some autistics can “pass” for being neurotypical, that doesn’t mean we’ve outgrown autism. It just means we’ve adjusted to what society expects of us. The second is that we don’t have emotions. I think this is often perceived because we often express our emotions differently from those not on the spectrum. In fact, there has been research that has concluded that our emotions and those of our peers can often overwhelm us, perhaps more easily than those not on the spectrum.
4. What are some of your favorite hobbies and what do you enjoy about them? I am an avid reader, especially of science fiction. I think what’s best about it is that it allows me to escape from the pressures of this world. It allows me to unwind when I experience a world that is different from my own.
5. How would you define your life philosophy–to put it more simply, do you have a personal motto? My motto is to always try to find the good in everything. I’m not always living by this principle, but I’ve learned there is good in everything that happens. If I focus on that, it helps me not to fall into despair.
6. Favorite Books? I’d have to say the writings of CS Lewis, primarily. Not just his fiction, but also his non-fiction. His non-fiction is so simplistic. He doesn’t rely on purple prose or empty words. He explains everything about Christianity as simply as he can. He’s often been discredited because he’s not a theologian, but I don’t think that should dismiss him. I’d have to say his best book that isn’t connected to Narnia would be Mere Christianity. It’s a great bare-bones approach to Christianity, and I always recommend it to anyone who wants to know where to start with his non-fiction.
7. Favorite Movies? I’m a big fan of the Star Wars series and Back to the Future. What I like about Star Wars is its mythic atmosphere. It’s a great blend of the heroic epics of mythology and science fiction. The Back to the Future movies I like because of its central theme, which Dr. Brown tells us at the end of part 3: “the future is what you make of it.” There’s no set plan for how things will work out. We shouldn’t go in worrying about the possibility that we will inflict irreparable chaos.
8. Authors? Well I already mentioned CS Lewis. I’m also a big fan of JRR Tolkien, Neil Gaiman, Dean Koontz, Madeliene L’ Engle, and Roald Dahl.
9. Foods? My favorite dish is baked chicken with peaches. I also like spaghetti and seafood, especially shrimp and crawfish (since I’m from Louisiana.)
10. When meeting someone new, what about them tells you the most in the fastest amount of time? I’m not good at reading people, mostly due to not being able to respond well to social cues. However, I can often tell a lot about a person by how they treat others besides myself. People tend to treat everyone the same way, so if they’re not nice to other people, then it’s safe to assume that person will be a problem.
11. Favorite Bible verse? Jeremiah 1:4-5: Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. before you were born I set you apart;    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.
12. Finally, what is one thing you would want someone to know about you that we haven’t covered? Originally, I didn’t really want to write more than one blog. What changed that was reading autism blogs. I liked what I read and I realized that I could contribute to understanding the autism community by offering my own perspective. I don’t always write about autism on my blog because I feel that’s not all that I am. That’s why I write about my hobbies too. I want everyone to see every piece of the puzzle that makes up what I am. I understand why other autistic bloggers focus solely on issues related to autism, but I feel I should write about other aspects of my personality as well.