the etymology of the term ‘autism’ derives from an idea that a person with autistic traits is somehow isolated in a world of their own, that others can’t reach.
i would offer that this is exactly wrong, and a projection by an observer with a mindset built from a variety of assumptions that prevents them from understanding the way the observed person moves through the world.
the isolation being described is that of the observer, not the observed. an isolation from nature, and from processes that take place across long arcs, and within complex systems.
and this isolation prevents the observer not only from understanding the observed, but from understanding their own true nature, and the ways that certain qualities that appear awkward in a limited social context are vital for the human project as it plays out in relationship with nature, the earth, and the universe.
for this reason, i advocate for new language that acknowledges the contribution of the person who moves across a longer arc; whose body remembers what has always been important, even when people in the room have forgotten; whose mind forgets what is not important, even when the people in the room are catastrophizing about a missed deadline; whose presence requires the room to reassess what is important at every turn; whose character collects specific fields of information that, when recognized, enrich the community in unmonetizable ways.
so, i’m going to be speaking in awkward sentences, as i try to articulate the experience, from the inside, of a person who recognizes something of what is important; who recognizes and loves themselves and those around themselves; and who is unsatisfied with the direction that a large swath of humanity has taken—away from nature, and a harmonious relationship with the universe.
sometimes, in coming to our senses, it’s important to disengage from a compulsion to make sense. thank you for your attention to this matter.