This just showed up on my FB feed.
I don’t really remember if I ever did this or not. I do recall that sometimes, even today, I will pretend to agree with someone on something like say politics if I am not in the mood for an argument. I don’t like compromising myself like that but I have found sometimes if you find yourself in the company of an extremist, it might be best to just go along with them and look for a way to out of there as soon as you can. Certain kinds and types of people just aren’t worth the effort. Some are worth all you can give them. Still others are worth even more than that.
That exception aside, for the most part as I have gotten older, I have also become more comfortable with who I am. I am Thomas, take it or leave it. If you don’t like who I am, phooey on you. Believe me I don’t need your hero worship. Been there, done that, and if no one ever does that to me again, that’s just fine with me. On the other hand if you want to be friends, that’s fine with me, too. But be warned I am picky about who I hang with. After my experience at Lion of Judah (and one thing in particular that came out of it), I am not about to have toxic people around me. Not anymore. Chronic illness adds to the danger in that for me. But if you are a decent person, there is no danger for either of us. So I’m there. Count me in.
There are a lot of people out there who don’t get me. I have learned to be okay with that. I have come to see how special the people who do get me really are. Not just with me, but with everyone else. That’s the kind of person I want to be around. Someone who is good and kind not just to me but to all those around them.
As for this inquiry, the need for acceptance and to fit in somewhere can drive a body to things. Look no further than the Actually Autistic movement as an example of this. I am certain that bullying is born of desperation to belong. Once you figure out how to accept yourself (and it can be difficult, it was for me), things like this don’t mean as much to you because the things like what I just wrote above become clear. That’s my own personal interpretation of this. I think in this particular case, autistic or not, it all comes down to self esteem.