To the Healers

To the disillusioned, the world-weary, the beaten and the worn. To the aware, perceptive, intuitive, and empathetic. To the watchers of a world ablaze, and to those pulling others out of the fires at grave personal risk. To the wise and the wary. To those who guide, lead, and build...

Your work is Sisyphean, and yet you toil over it day after day. You don't truly see change, no matter your greatest efforts. So why do you do this? It is not truly about change or improvement. It is about balance. You are at the forefront of keeping the balance. Without you, the world would surely crumble. Everything hangs on by a thread, all thanks to you and others like you. You are dutiful, compassionate, truly life-saving. What do you get in return? A broken body, an exhausted mind, depression and anxiety, pain and tears. In this world, selfishness, disregard for others, narcissism, ruthlessness, a lack of conscience and morality, a cold heart... These are the qualities that provide worldly rewards.

You take the road less travelled, off the beaten path. You spend much of your life in solitude, even when surrounded by others. You are unique and rare in this world. There is an eternal blaze, and no matter your efforts you will never put it out, so you instead try to keep it from spreading. It is there, it is very real, and you've seen it consume all too many. Your acts are not for praise or reward, not for some ulterior motive... You do this not because you were asked and commanded. You do this because every fibre of your being says it is right, because your heart wrenches every time you see another person get burned. You realise that the 'self' is just a piece of the whole. You are like a cell of a body, or - more aptly - an atom. You make up such an infinitesimal piece of the universe. And yet, if each of you did not do what you do, disaster could occur. Even the Law of Conservation of Mass agrees that you are required for the Universe to be.

Others may hurt you, not appreciate you, look down on you... but do not let this deter you. They do not see the truth, the necessity of your existence. You do not take this path just for the sake of taking the path. You do not have some sense of self-righteousness or entitlement. You do what you do because it is who you are. Others may try to change you - do not let them. Do not change to suit others, but rather to improve upon who you already are. Seek enlightenment, improvement, and transcendence. Do not become disheartened when you fall, or when you make a mistake. Take the time you need, get up, and keep being true to yourself.

Innocence Lost... in Translation

Aspies (a fun and casual term for those with Asperger's) often find their words and intentions get lost in translation. We're blunt, we're honest, and we don't really pick up on other's intents and meanings, as well, either. But there is a fairly important difference between the misunderstandings of one with Asperger's and those of others who don't...

Imagine someone who is illiterate looking at a page full of words: "What are all these weird squiggly lines?" It wouldn't mean much to them would it. This is what body language, things like vocal intonation, many abstract concepts (like sarcasm), and other social cues are like. We don't pick up on these things as well as others, but we can still learn - we just need time and lots and lots of practice (not to mention a desire to put forth such effort.) So, if you see someone on the autism spectrum not understanding your feelings and intentions, try to consider your body language and vocal intonation, amongst other subtle cues, which come naturally to you, as that text on the page in front of the illiterate. They can't read it, but you can help teach them.

Now, how about the misunderstandings of those without autism? Okay, now imagine someone took an equivalent, or nearly equivalent, alphabet to write in English. A person who isn't familiar with both alphabets could get very confused. Let me give you an example: Кан ю рид дис? If you can't read that, you probably don't know Cyrillic, and unless you speak languages like Russian, Bulgarian, or Mongolian, you probably wouldn't be familiar with it. Trying to read an Aspie is like trying to read the same exact language... in a different, yet more or less equivalent, text. Just like an Aspie being able to learn the body language and social cues of non-Aspies, the inverse can be true, as well - non-Aspies can just as well learn the inner-workings and behaviors of Aspies.

The interesting thing about this is that Aspies are different, and yet very much the same. It's pretty much all a matter of perception - Aspies tend to perceive the world around them a bit, or a lot, differently from most other people, but it's all the same world. People with autism are really just humans like anyone else, with emotions, struggles, aspirations and goals, and who want to be loved and accepted. No matter how much we seem like it sometimes, we're not aliens. When a non-verbal autistic (typically regarded by most as 'retarded' and 'not worth trying to make understand') write, whether on a computer or text-to-voice program, or some other means of giving them a voice, people are realising, "Wow, they're really just like us!" Just because someone has different mannerisms, body language, perceptions, and has difficulty or is unable to speak, it does not mean they're stupid, idiots, retarded, or essentially vegetables of people who are burdens to society (this is truly what many, if not most, people believe, including medical professionals.)

If a foreigner came to your country, and didn't know your language, would you ridicule them and call them stupid for not understanding what you're saying? If you say yes, then you're one of the many ignorant individuals who probably thinks the above misinformation about Auties (like 'Aspies,' but for all autistics) is true.

Now, I'm going to say some generalisations that are true more often than not, but like all generalisations, certainly has its exceptions. People with autism:

• Are usually literal and take things at face value
• Don't like to bother with lying because it's more work than just telling the truth
• Are typically honest to a fault (consider if you really want to know the answer to what you ask!)
• Often just want to be accepted and loved, and will often try to do their best to receive such
• Are loyal to a fault (many with autism get taken advantage of for this)
• Are usually willing to try to learn new things if it's important to them that they do (like social skills)
• Just want others to be patient and understanding
• Usually need some degree of their own space, but can also be very clingy (try to go with the motions, providing them with the space and tranquillity they need, while also being there for them when they need)
• Usually have a thousand times as much going on in their head than they could ever verbalise
• Have co-morbid conditions like hypersensitivities (proneness to sensory overload, sensitivities to all five senses, and prone to hypersensitive immune systems, such as proneness to allergies), mood disorders, anxieties, ADHD, OCD (either tendencies or the full condition), psychotic disorders, neurological disorders, somatic illnesses, genetic conditions -- BUT KEEP IN MIND, THESE THINGS, THEMSELVES, ARE NOT THE AUTISM!
•  So on top of just seeing the world differently, not being able to naturally pick up on social cues (instead having to learn the behaviors intellectually, or utilise mimicking), having difficulty with abstract social constructs like subtext, ulterior motives, spite, and dishonesty, people with autism typically also have to deal with a wide array of psychological and physical ailments that simply coincide with their autism, but which make things all the harder

All of this said, some with autism do use their diagnosis as an excuse to behave badly. This isn't acceptable, and no one should use autism as an excuse to intentionally do wrong. That said, I think most with autism probably stay away from such behavior if they can, and if they do do something wrong or hurtful, it's probably unintentional. Honestly, I believe there is a reason why those with autism relate to animals so well. While we do have the brains of humans, many able to at least write eloquently, to be well educated and very knowledgeable, as well as even very self-aware, I think that, when it comes to social dynamics, we're more akin to animals. Animals don't lie or cheat, they don't plot... Animals take in what they see, they react, and they're deliberate in what they do - they won't deceive you. And animals that are loved can become some of the most loyal companions you will ever meet. They're innocent.