If you don't like having obsessions, why not?

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I know some Aspies don't like having obsessions, and wish they could get rid of them. I don't understand this. For me, obsessions are the best part of having AS. I actually didn't realize until a few years ago that most (neurotypical) people don't have anything equivalent to Aspie obsessions, and it's still hard for me to imagine. My obsessions make me happy, and they give my life meaning. For a while I had no obsessions, and I was miserable. So if you don't like having obsessions, why don't you? I'm honestly curious.

Couldn't agree more.

Aspies are obsessions.

Einstein used to be obsessed with physics...such a moron...

Since AS obsessions are defined as a narrow restrictive interest, it is hard for many to be able to be interested in other things. Those other things one should/must be interested in to certain degrees are for example school, work or social obligations.

Then the interests that are typical for AS are also abnormal in either intensity or focus. This means that they can cause a huge interference with everyday life. Some are so badly into their interest that they do not find themselves able to participate in social interaction, show up to meetings on time (or at all) and it would be rather typical for someone with AS to feel unable to go even about basic daily activities such as showering, sleeping at night or eating.

Besides that, special interests can add to the delay of acquiring common skills (from taking care of yourself, cooking to social skills). Kids often just do not learn something for a long time because it's not pertaining their special interest and the same goes for young adults (probably for older adults as well, but I don't know that). They can also negatively affect your learning ability and your work performance if you find that you are unable to focus or spend any time on these activities that have nothing to do with your special interest.

Ah, yeah - I personally don't have such special interests.

I'd give-up the special interests simply because I associate it with my perserverating over distressing life issues. Running things over and over in my head until it upsets me to the point of sleepless nights.

Different thing, but I figure if a magic wand was waved that took away my obsessive interests, this would disappear too. I'd seriously consider it.

As for my hyper-focus over my interests, I can't say I love it, hate it or like it. It has it's pros and cons like everything else. I'm just not sure which outweighs the other.

As I've gotten older my obsessions have really faded away and I can't say that I miss them. There were some that really got in the way of leading a productive life and I'm really glad those are gone. There are some that are sitting on the back burner that I wouldn't mind resurecting at a later date.

I love my obsessions &, just like you, AngelUndercover, they give my life meaning in a lot of ways.
The only thing is, I have to be careful not to talk about some of them to other people because their reactions make me feel ashamed (even though there's nothing wrong with them).
I wish I had different obsessions that I could actually talk about, because I hate having to keep quiet about things just because others think it's strange.

It really all depends. Nowadays I'm obsessed with books and literature, which works as an obsession because it continually makes me smarter to read so much.

But when i was a kid, I was very disturbed with an arbitrary obsession with professional wrestling. It was seriously all I cared about, and it was pretty hard for me to relate to anyone because of it,
sometimes I wound up dragging other people into my strange obsession (memorizing statistics on the history of all the performers- it's quite embarassing).

Anyway, obsessions can be unhealthy if they consume all your energy and make you forget there is an entire other world out there.

Unless, of course, you're Einstein.

I agree with AngelUndercover, whenever I read about my obsessions I feel physically happy.
Admittedly, some of my obsessions I had at an earlier age did go a bit to waste(ants, magnets, etc.), and I couldn't really relate to a lot of people, but now I know vast amounts(compared to most NTs anyway) about computers which makes me very handy at times. I also haven't got anything below top of the class in all my Science tests for this year, so yeah, I'd probably be suicidal if one day I just lost them XD.
EMZ=]

I love my obsessions, but at the same time it can be exhausting like my brain is running on a treadmill that won't stop. It can also be difficult because I want to talk about them SO much but I'm aware that other people will get very sick of hearing it.

I don't know. I like them sometimes and don't like them other times. I wish I could have other things to think about though. I constantly play the same things over and over again, making up scenarios around my obsessions. What do other people think about?

I have had obsessions I didn't like because they made me feel like I was a bad person for liking something.

I know exactly what you mean. When I was 8 or 9 my obsession was Jack the Ripper. It made me seem like a disturbed child when I was just fascinated with the story and how they never caught him. But yes, certain obsessions can make you seem weird for sure. And if the obsession is with a person, that person can become freaked out even though it's harmless.

As an Aspie, I always feel like we have to have obsessions. Obsessions are what make us feel good, and they get us through tough days. I've always felt that without obsessions, we might as well wither and die. But, Sora makes some excellent points about them. They do have their drawbacks.

If I didn't have my obsessions I'd be bored all day.

NT's can be obsessed about things too. Not all of the Harry Potter fans on MuggleSpace are aspies, and they are so HP obsessed it's scary. Then you have your music fans - the 30 Seconds to Mars fans treat that band like it's a cult. I think there are some aspie fans, but most are NT. My ex was obsessed with Nintendo and his instruments and he is as NT as they come.

I'd wager to say that the depth or level of obsession decreases dramatically when "real life" intervenes. Students, adolescents, people on disability (and not working full-time)... all have an abundance of time the rest of "us" don't have. I still have one part-time job, a house to take care of, a dog, two sons, four grandchildren, a yard and plants to take care of, and the occassional odd job. I haven't got time for obsessions anymore.

You've got a point.
I manage a house, a house-mate, a son, two jobs, and a residential property complete with a crazy garden. My obsessions are plants and music. I am able to occasionally squeeze in time for plants and the garden. Music has become a peripheral activity to me, which is sad, because the desire to express things musically never goes away... Sublimates into other forms, I suppose.

One part of me would like to be a hermit, and lose myself in these obsessions. But I am glad that "real life" keeps me having to deal with less-than-idealism. My jobs and my son keep me "present". That's a good thing.