All of us here form a social world of letters and words. Freed from the pain and horrors of walking blind in the complex world of human interactions, there is respite from the bitterness of rejection. Does this message board prove our need for human warmth and companionship? No one has ever said that Aspies do not desire the comforting embrace of friends or that we do not have the universal longing to reach out to another human being; but that such yearning is often unrequited and it accounts for much of the throbbing heartache that being autistic entails. Relationships, be it with friends or lovers, invariably ends in painful rupture. And so despite the intense longing for human contact, most of us end up living a solitary life.
Are we Aspies alone in our private hell? Look around you; it is not much easier for those who see the things that we do not. Being autistic does imply that we do have a certain capacity for solitude. Woe be to the man or woman who needs to be with others constantly. Such people will never develop a life within or find pleasures in living the life of the mind.
While we can share with others, no one can be certain that they know or understand even the closest people in their lives. The very fact that I am autistic and cannot seem to see certain things proves that we all perceive things differently. Could I then possibly share the same thoughts that others have? Can I ever really understand or make myself understood?
For those who can afford it, solitude is best. Find commune with the long dead masters and bid farewell to the mirage of this world.
04 Sep 2006, 10:52 am
