Merged cultures and a message
Here's the latest Autistic Lincs column from autistic author Callum Brazzo...
If you follow the journey of Autistic Lincs online, you’ll know that I recently went live to chat to you all (link to the Facebook page here: fb.watch/an7_w2xbBz/)
I said a lot but one thing I want to focus on here is the potential of live streaming on Facebook.
Who do we go to for information? Who would you like to see alongside myself in a live chat? I would love suggestions!
Now, besides that, how does one start a new year column-wise?
I won’t lie, it’s difficult thinking of one subject because just the people’s experiences, it’s a spectrum.
But you have to start somewhere, right?
Resolutely positive to embark on this journey called life, there are those of us out there still wary of returning to ‘normal’ and with so many variants forming, it is so hard to keep track of.
How we centre ourselves in this madness?
I return to the immortal words of wrestler turned actor John Cena when he said “Control the controllable.”
Wrestling is a mix of popular cultured filtered into a commercial product for the masses and when you think about, isn’t that what this column is?
The merger of cultures, neurotypical and autistic alike, filtered into a message for the masses?
Lessons can be learned anywhere and absorbing what is necessary and discarding what is not useful for you is the way forward from religious perspectives to wrestling and beyond.
So controlling the controllable is my mantra moving into 2022. We are a collective, yes, but we can only be responsible for ourselves and I think this is something that is universal.
An addict may need some help quitting their vices but it is also true that their vices can overpower them regardless of the help offered.
People that are homeless may have all kinds of reasons for being in that position and it is unfair to judge.
Where does life end and begin for people on the periphery of ‘normal’ or ‘safe?’
Vulnerable people in our society, including many autistic people, are not ‘burdens’ to be swept under the magic carpet of ignorance.
There is a thread of humanity running through their experiences and we would be best to remember this.
Addictions can start from one toxic environment, a misinformed choice or a knee-jerk reaction to grief or loss that becomes a deadly one way street.
Those experiencing homelessness may be kicked out for missing rent due to difficulties managing money, breaking up with partners with a joint tenancy, fleeing domestic abuse.
I have only touched on the experiences above as I am not fully equipped to detail all of the possible routes in life that you can travel down. I am not putting the autistic experience on par with any of the tales above; it is not a competition.
But I choose to embrace the stories told and that have yet to be told.
Many if not all of the situations described could relate to an autistic person.
Much like the infinity symbol which authentically represents the autistic community, life goes in loops with its interlinked topics and paths to personal fulfilment.
But you have to start somewhere, right?
Let’s start how we ended 2021; with compassion, authentic connection and collaboration as we navigate these roads untraveled. Together.
A short poem to finish; The Autistic Truth
Plants grow from firm roots
But before you burst through to blossom
You have to learn who you are
The problem is that the truth is far
From the lessons learned in life
Authentic expressions internalised
As reasons you deserve to die
Mental health service time!
Such an urge to unearth just why
You feel how you feel
Everything about you that is real is concealed
So any room exists in a vacuum
Air sucked out of it
People in charge have blinders on
So it’s no wonder why we assign their trust
Counterfeit
It comes from misunderstanding
Mislabeling issues
And then of course, the diagnosis papers they give you
Feel like funeral rites
Tunnel vision definition means you’re losing all sight
Of a potentially BEAUTIFUL life
If we’re digging deep into history
The roots of the autistic truth, you will find
