Chenyg1976: Autistic People Should

Reprinted with Chenyg1976's permission.

Autistic people should shout. Shout to the world that turns a deaf ear to the autistic people for the world is too busy listening to its own voice.

Autistic people should wave their hands. Wave their hands in the public to get the attention they deserve. Because it’s not about us, without us.

Autistic people should laugh. Laugh at the ignorance the world has shown. Laugh at the absurdity that for all the brilliant minds the world could muster the result is still abysmal. Laugh at the silly notion that we are just “children”. Laugh at the notion that we are somehow less.

Autistic people should cry. Cry at the suffering and pain our people are going through in the well intentioned but incompetent hands of NT caretakers. Cry at the injustice and stigmatization we have to endure. Cry at the abuses many of us have to suffer, through childhood and into adulthood. Cry at the indifference the world has shown to the injustice done to us.

Autistic people should smile. For smile is beautiful and therapeutic. For smile is encouragement. For we should smile for confidence. We should smile for we have defied odds just to be here. We should smile because because we love ourselves, our Autistic being. We should smile because we love this world.

Autistic people should be angry. Angry at the prejudice, hatred, bigotry and discrimination.

Autistic people should be happy. Because the world we live in is a beautiful place. There are many loving, kind people in our lives. Every day we live is a day of celebration.

Autistic people should celebrate. Celebrate our lives. Our beauty, our talent, , our uniqueness, our diversity and our very being. Celebrate that our voices are getting louder. Slowly but surely, our voice is getting through.

Autistic people should hope. Because a world without hope is a world we cannot survive.

Autistic people should persist. Because change doesn’t come easily. Because the natural tendency for people is to resist change. Only through persistence can we achieve a better understanding and a better acceptance of us autistic people in the general public.

Autistic people should love. We should love ourselves, our family, and everyone around us. We live in an imperfect world. Only through hope, and love, and persistence, can we make the world a better place tomorrow.

Autistic people should form communities. For we are a being, a culture unto ourselves. As such we should form bonds with each other. We should form communities that allow each of us to cherish, to develop, and grow each other, our culture and our awareness. To come the aid of those in need and to form a single coherent voice. To serve as a guiding light to all the autistics out there, to tell them that they are not alone and they are not failures.

Autistic people should embrace the world. We should reach out. For it’s untrue that the world is all harsh and hostile to us. There are many kind and loving souls who have been and are still helping us. There are people with open mind who want to understand us better and communicate with us better. We should embrace them. We should continue to educate the public about what autism is and what autistic people truly are. We should continue the endeavor of a peaceful co-existence. There is nothing exclusive between Autistic and NT culture any more than the black and white culture, or Chinese and American culture. For all of our differences we desire and appreciate same things, if in different way: love, compassion, beauty, and our very own humanity. For in the end, we are all humans. We are all brothers and sisters. In God’s eye, we are one and the same.