At it again

Dear Society,

Please stop with your pity, with your sympathy, with those sad eyes that don’t quite know what it’s like. We didn’t ask for it; in fact, it makes it harder to deal with. The sorry’s, the wow’s, the pats on the back, yeah, they don’t help. That doesn’t help us and to be honest, we don’t necessarily want help. We are quite capable of functioning, for the most part. The little hiccups in our functioning capacities make us who we are.

I will tell you what we want… or at least, what I want. First, cut the sympathy ploy. I don’t need to be reminded that I can’t always function at peak operating levels. Second, stop with the pats on the back. For some people, it’s a little jarring and not always appreciated. Third, empathy or understanding. We get it, you may not know what it’s like or maybe you do. We appreciate it when you relate to us somehow, just don’t do it in a sympathetic way. Sympathy is feeling bad, empathy is feeling the pain; I’m not talking about actually causing yourself the pain to relate to us, but to understand how we feel helps a lot more than a sorry. To quote Fight Club, “You’re sorry, I’m sorry, we’re all sorry.” Fourth, understand that we have good days, rough days, and don’t-you-dare days, too. But it’s a bit more extreme. It’s more like: Good hours, bad hours, and don’t-come-near-me hours. And sometimes, it goes down to mere minutes or seconds. That does not mean we are all bi-polar, but the little things can set us off quickly, especially if we have been a bout of whatever for a while now.

We do appreciate you, but you need to understand, just because we can’t function like you doesn’t mean we are completely broken and need saving. We are quite capable in our odd, sometimes backwards, and round-about ways. We know how to work around it and sometimes we need a crutch or a hug. Sometimes we just want to stop dealing with everyone and thing within a however many mile radius and at other times, we need to stop and ignore things for a bit. It’s not antisocial behavior or being hostile, it’s us dealing with a world that is extraordinary but overwhelming.

Thanks for listening,

Us.