If you ever feel the need to catch more than 0.01% of what is going on around you, I would be happy to spend the day with you and describe every overwhelming detail my Autistic brain catches. Although, we wouldn’t get far in our journey. I would need at least a couple of hours to explain everything in front of and around me after the first couple of steps. Just the sounds, smells, and the way it all makes me feel could take up the day.
I guess what I am trying to say is, at times I envy ‘neurotypicals’… most have the luxury of only perceiving 99.99%.
Anyway (I’m starting to feel as if this is my “and it came to pass”), storytelling is beautiful art, and yes, it can be difficult to know if the version we hear or tell is the truth. Storytelling is based on individual perception of an event or the world around us. Some people have the ability to embellish and add interest. Some are incapable of embellishment. But, from my perspective, none of that matters, because each narrative is a ‘true’ recounting of the individual’s experience.
All of that is to say, I agree with your analysis. With one tiny exception: humility.
A lot of Autistic people do not understand that term, which is why we are often referred to as self-centered, rude, lacking empathy, &c. Yet, most Autistic people have too much empathy—research on the double empathy problem amongst Autistic people is fascinating. We aren’t rude or self-centered, we simply have things (items, topics, people) we are passionate about—what some call ‘special interests’. A lot of people in the Autistic community, especially women, notice the body language and reactions to our talking incessantly about our passions, so we mask. We hide the beautiful stories, the experiences, the finite details, deep in the recesses of our mind until we feel safe enough to share our stories, if ever.
Which is why a lot of adults in the broader Neurodivergent community are instead focused on fostering a sense of belonging and living authentically (i.e., wholeheartedly; go Brené Brown!).
This journey of mine has taught me that the beauty of humankind is that we are each ‘neuro-unique’ (I may have just made that up, not sure, but I’m rolling with it). Once we understand that, we can work on accepting who we are as individuals, how we perceive and experience the world around us, and understand our preferred mode of communication so that we can share our perceptions and experiences with others. Then, we can open our minds and hearts up to accepting others and finding shared experiences—having empathy. Next, building compassion. And, then belonging. Oh, the stories we will all have to tell and to hear once we reach that stage! *sigh*
Thank you for allowing me to ramble on, once again. The only reason I share so much here is because I feel safe, which is an unusual feeling for me these days. So, thank you! In other news, you’ve inspired me to start sharing my story to a broader audience—outside of my safe spaces. Would love to talk to you about how I can best do that… and stop taking up so much space here! Ha!
If you ever feel the need to catch more than 0.01% of what is going on around you, I would be happy to spend the day with you and describe every overwhelming detail my Autistic brain catches. Although, we wouldn’t get far in our journey. I would need at least a couple of hours to explain everything in front of and around me after the first couple of steps. Just the sounds, smells, and the way it all makes me feel could take up the day.
I guess what I am trying to say is, at times I envy ‘neurotypicals’… most have the luxury of only perceiving 99.99%.
Anyway (I’m starting to feel as if this is my “and it came to pass”), storytelling is beautiful art, and yes, it can be difficult to know if the version we hear or tell is the truth. Storytelling is based on individual perception of an event or the world around us. Some people have the ability to embellish and add interest. Some are incapable of embellishment. But, from my perspective, none of that matters, because each narrative is a ‘true’ recounting of the individual’s experience.
All of that is to say, I agree with your analysis. With one tiny exception: humility.
A lot of Autistic people do not understand that term, which is why we are often referred to as self-centered, rude, lacking empathy, &c. Yet, most Autistic people have too much empathy—research on the double empathy problem amongst Autistic people is fascinating. We aren’t rude or self-centered, we simply have things (items, topics, people) we are passionate about—what some call ‘special interests’. A lot of people in the Autistic community, especially women, notice the body language and reactions to our talking incessantly about our passions, so we mask. We hide the beautiful stories, the experiences, the finite details, deep in the recesses of our mind until we feel safe enough to share our stories, if ever.
Which is why a lot of adults in the broader Neurodivergent community are instead focused on fostering a sense of belonging and living authentically (i.e., wholeheartedly; go Brené Brown!).
This journey of mine has taught me that the beauty of humankind is that we are each ‘neuro-unique’ (I may have just made that up, not sure, but I’m rolling with it). Once we understand that, we can work on accepting who we are as individuals, how we perceive and experience the world around us, and understand our preferred mode of communication so that we can share our perceptions and experiences with others. Then, we can open our minds and hearts up to accepting others and finding shared experiences—having empathy. Next, building compassion. And, then belonging. Oh, the stories we will all have to tell and to hear once we reach that stage! *sigh*
Thank you for allowing me to ramble on, once again. The only reason I share so much here is because I feel safe, which is an unusual feeling for me these days. So, thank you! In other news, you’ve inspired me to start sharing my story to a broader audience—outside of my safe spaces. Would love to talk to you about how I can best do that… and stop taking up so much space here! Ha!
<3