I do my utmost best to post and tweet and share about Understanding and Acceptance with people around the world. I feel that it’s my way of doing my part to ensure that in the future, life will be a little more fair and just for my child as well as all people with Autism.
Lesson for those without Autism
To the people around the world that do not have Autism or even know anything about Autism, I try to encourage them to gain some understanding such that they can accept those with Autism for who they are and how they are. To give them an equal opportunity to be every bit as much of part of society as I am even if they feel uncomfortable about it.
Perhaps those with Autism will feel more comfortable if everyone would have a bit more understanding and acceptance.. in time, it would balance out. The anxiety would go away and other people’s judgments would go away too.
At least, that’s what I would like to happen. It’s no easy task though.
Lesson for my son and those with Autism
Self Confidence
Everyone teaches their child the same lesson: “You can be anything you want to be, if you just believe in yourself.”
These days, when prozac is sold more than any other drug in the world, self confidence is hard to come by. It’s even harder for those with Autism that may feel like they’re living in a world where they don’t fit in, constantly being judged or worse…. where they simply can not exist.
No, I don’t know how I’m going to do it… I don’t even know how I would do it without Autism being in the picture. But I do know that it’s what I have to strive for. It’s what I have to help him strive for.
I know it’s possible though because I believe it. I honestly believe that even if no one ever does gain any understanding or acceptance that my son can and will do just fine. In fact, he’ll be awesome.
The test will be if I can make him believe it…
And when he believes it, he will be awesome, no matter what stands in his way.
In a perfect world
It’s a bit of a contradiction when you think about it… telling everyone to accept those with Autism for who they are and telling those with Autism to not care if anyone else accepts them.
But that is the reality of how it needs to be. My son can do anything, he can be anyone… if he believes it, regardless of what anyone else thinks.
That’s not to say that I want my son or anyone else to be egotistical, but rather that I want them to realize that even a person with Autism that can not speak can go on to be very brilliant, skilled, successful… if they believe it enough. Believing it will allow them to find a way to make it happen.
Before that can happen, we need everyone else to help encourage that, and nurture it. Which means teaching them understanding and acceptance.
It’s a contradiction, it’s a cycle.. we need acceptance to help those with Autism achieve their potential but those with Autism don’t need anyone or anything to reach their potential if they believe in themselves but they need acceptance in order to believe in themselves.
In the end, that’s what it boils down to. Understanding and acceptance from you will give others the strength they need to believe in themselves where they may have lacked it before.
When we all accept it, we all believe it and when we all believe it, they believe it. That’s when the real magic happens.
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