Published on 12, July, 2020
I recently joined the group 7 days ago and the first post I read was a dig at the over 60’s. These people have lived with conditions that go back years, like myself.
Imagin living the majority of your life knowing that something was wrong. but no one could tell you what it was. The younger generation are lucky that Autism is picked up more quickly these days.
We didn’t have the internet or mobile phone when were young, you were branded into two camps you were either a problem child or your simple. Back then this is how you were treated. Stupid or bad child.
What I am saying is treat these people with respect, some that is sadly lacking in some of the youth today. They carry a vast amount of knowledge and experience of autism, try asking them how they managed to survive all those years not knowing what was wrong with them, no guidance or help of any sort.
I have spent all of my life not feeling I belonged in this society or world and lots of things happened because of that. (pm me if your interested in the bad old days.
As I've got older I've learnt there's truth in phrases like "youth is wasted on the young" and " older is wiser".
I don't feel anything older than about 17 inside. But I'm almost 50.
I spent life hiding my differences and trying hard to fit in, people may have noticed, most didn't and we're shocked when I was diagnosed. Those close to me knew something was off and weren't so shocked. If people had found out back then it'd have meant losing everything including friends and being bullied and branded. It was just something you couldn't risk happening.
I got diagnosed this year after finally feeling I could take the risk of exposing my difference to the world, total fear of ridicule and rejection meant I spent my life struggling and bottling up my feelings, which nobody should have to endure just because of what others would say or think.
It's a safer world for young autistic people now, which is great, but maybe some haven't seen the pain others endured through times that weren't so understanding and won't realise how lucky they are.
Overall this is a place full of amazing people though, so don't take the negativity you saw as the norm. Most here are kind and compassionate people who want to help eachother.
I have seen the good in here too. I was just trying to get through to the youth that there is a lot of wisdom in the older generation. I am being tested now after 61 years in the dark, it probably will not make much difference to my life now. just justification of knowing why I am the way I am.
NAS94050 said:I was just trying to get through to the youth that there is a lot of wisdom in the older generation
People are typically tribal in nature so the old are one group that youngsters will typically not take seriously until they start to build some life experience themselves and realise that these oldies may be onto something after all.
I was like that when I was young and have seen it throughout my life when training others.
I find there is no point wasting time on it - youth is wasted on the young after all.
I will always try even if it just reaches one person. There are problems with the youth of today but you cannot tar them all with the same brush, there are good kids out there, and if we all turn our backs on them they will never learn. I am not a person who sees thing through rose tinted glasses, far from it, the youth of today are our future whether we like or not. I hate society but its all we have right now.