Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The Way of the Aspie

Asperger's seems to be an issue of adaptation. We have trouble adjusting to new things, learning new social rules. We can't handle surprises or spur-of-the-moment things. Apart from seeing the world differently, I think a great deal of our awkwardness comes from discomfort in unfamiliar situations. 

You know what? That's okay. If we stick to the familiar, or work to decode the unknown, then we will be okay. This is the main thing that we have to deal with, and we will have to deal with it constantly, but it's good to know that things do get easier.

What's actually important.

Today I ran into a classmate, and we spent a few hours talking - about everything. Oddly enough, it wasn't awkward at all. I usually have a hard time holding conversations with people, but she was so easy to talk to, not to mention a really interesting person. I love learning new things about people because they're so interesting to begin with, and when you try to hide those interesting points to give off a certain impression, you are, in a way, cheating yourself out of the connections and experiences you could be having. At least, that's how I feel. 

Moments like these are what help me remember that social standards don't really apply. Don't get me wrong; they do in the sense of showing you're engaged in conversation and by not offending the other person, but you really shouldn't be trying to appear flawless. You don't need to be molded into the perfect human being to get by - if you meet individuals whom you really connect with, then those friendships turn into something special. Those friendships may be limited in quantity, but it shouldn't matter how many friends you have anyway. 

Also, socializing seems so superficial. I'm referring to large parties, clubs, and anywhere cliques may roam. These instances are more for show than anything, and they completely demolish the concept behind having friends in the first place.  

There is no wrong way to go about making friends, unless it involves hurting somebody. And if you have just one friend, as long as that relationship makes you happy, then that is what really  matters.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Please pardon my philosophical tangents.

I've always thought of humanity as being in a transitional stage - the people we aren't now, we will one day become. Just like cultural trends, people also change.

For once, I'm questioning this, because in the short, insignificant amount of time I've been alive, I don't think I've really witnessed enough evidence to find the above statement true.

If somebody is frustruating me, a friend will often say something along the lines of "give it time, he/she will come around." The question though, is, will they? Does the average person really transform that much? I feel like I've transformed more than most, because I've had to acommodate for my own limitations, but do most other people experience the same thing? 

Or, and I know this is sad: do people continue to go about their ways, blind to how they are affecting those around them, potentially hurting many loved ones along the way while only acknowledging their own needs?

What I think I'm trying to ask here is, what are the limitations of change?

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