lostonearth35
Veteran
Joined: 5 Jan 2010
Age: 52
Gender: Female
Posts: 13,886
Location: On a planet where I don't belong.
15 Aug 2024, 11:06 am
15 Aug 2024, 11:23 am
Yes. I know autism feels like a curse. But when we only focus on the negative things in life, we'll never find the positives. God blessed the world with autism. We should be trying to find the strengths He gave us through our autism and trying to bless the world with them.
Let me put it in an analogy:
People fear big, ugly dogs, such as Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, or Dobermanns because they aren't pretty like Huskys or small like Chihuahuas or clean like Poodles. But, despite their shortcomings, they are some of the sweetest dog breeds. People like Cesar Millan used his influence to help break the stigma around Pit Bulls that they're killing machines. He taught people that dogs are influenced by their owners, and you have to train the owner in order to rehabilitate the dog. Pit Bulls can be dangerous, but if given the proper training and attention, they can become very loyal and obedient and calm and collected and gentle, etc.
Just like Pit Bulls, Autism has a stigma around it, too. People believe sterotypical things about autism. If we want to change that, we have to show people our strengths. We have to show them that autism isn't a curse. (We especially need to teach that to ourselves) Autism comes with great attributes: honesty, empathy, outside-of-the-box thinking, genuine emotions, etc.
But people won't want to help us when we are struggling if we treat them poorly. When someone doesn't understand autism, we shouldn't criticize them. We should inform them. When someone asks for advice for an autistic peer, we shouldn't be condescending. We should step into the shoes of the autistic person and give advice from our experiences that can help.
Toren Wolf, an autistic teen on YouTube, had a video where he showed a tiny mushroom growing right after a huge storm. We should all strive to be that mushroom.
You are all doing great. Storms are always tough, (I loathe any form of lightning and thunder) but there's always an eye in the storm. Seek for it.
You all are amazing!
It's important to find a balance between optimism and realism when thinking about autism. While it's valuable to recognize the strengths and blessings that autism can bring, we also need to acknowledge and address the real challenges that come with it. This approach allows us to stay grounded in reality while maintaining a hopeful outlook.
As Ecclesiastes 7:14 reminds us: "When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other." This encourages us to embrace both the positive and negative aspects of life. At the same time, Philippians 4:8 inspires us to focus on the good: "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."
By integrating both perspectives, we can better understand and accept ourselves and others, fostering a more compassionate and effective way to navigate life.
CockneyRebel
Veteran
Joined: 17 Jul 2004
Age: 51
Gender: Male
Posts: 121,237
Location: In my own little country
15 Aug 2024, 11:28 am
15 Aug 2024, 7:07 pm
16 Aug 2024, 7:47 am
16 Aug 2024, 10:48 am
17 Aug 2024, 6:15 am
I try to be nice and open minded to everyone. And people still misunderstand me, even those who already know I'm a nice person. I talked too directly, looked into their eyes too much, asked too many questions, tried to solve their problems, gave too many compliments, not being attentive to people's emotional needs...etc. My list of social sins are endless according NTs. 
Considering that I'm an extroverted aspie who likes people and talking, most autistics probably suffer more.
I just can't form deep relationships with NT people. They expect so much stuff that I couldn't understand. i.e. I had nearly a fallout with my mom who doesn't believe in autism, over something silly. She wanted me to buy some stuff for her that's only available in Canada and bring them to her when I visit. I offered to mail them to her so she can use them right away. She got very pissed off, which made me upset, too. I took a long shower afterward, going over everything she said and finally figured out the problem. What do you know? It's money. If I brought it to her she hoped it would be free. But if I mailed it to her she'd feel obligated to pay the shipping, and she doesn't want to. I knew she's always been cheap but it just didn't occur to me that she would care about such a trifling amount. Plus I didn't even ask her to pay for shipping. It's one of those "If only you have me in your heart, you'd know" NT stuff, isn't it? 
I do like NT people, it's fun to watch them and study them, but can get uncomfortable and awkward if they get too close. People don't easily understand those who are different, even if they've read books or watched documentaries about them. I just have to accept that they're not going to understand us.
17 Aug 2024, 6:46 am
17 Aug 2024, 8:17 am
17 Aug 2024, 9:49 am
funeralxempire
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Joined: 27 Oct 2014
Age: 41
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 34,239
Location: Right over your left shoulder
17 Aug 2024, 10:15 am
Agreed. We don't bite nearly as often.
17 Aug 2024, 11:55 am
17 Aug 2024, 1:45 pm
17 Aug 2024, 2:23 pm
funeralxempire
Veteran
Joined: 27 Oct 2014
Age: 41
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 34,239
Location: Right over your left shoulder
17 Aug 2024, 5:42 pm
18 Aug 2024, 2:54 am
Someone rage-quit without telling you their computer password or the combo to their safe? Here, let me have a try . . .
