Dear Reader,
I know you’ve felt it in the past months and so have I: that moment or moments where the ignorance has won and nightmares have become real and frightening. These moments have me worried, tired, frustrated, and angry. It feels harder to work, harder to survive, and harder to exist. I worry about the future of myself and other disabled people. I have come close to burnout on many occasions.
As an autistic and an ADHDer, it takes a lot of work to function. It also took me a very long time to acknowledge that everyone doesn’t possess the same viewpoint that I do. I had to learn that admitting that something doesn’t work and trying something different is the path forward. And I believe that if the world will truly get past any of this, it must do the same.
I have had to face a hard truth during this time. I must admit how this world operates at its core: its lack of humanity, its elitist-driven power structure, and its need for violence are disgustingly toxic. They don’t care about what their toxicity does to humanity and the environment as a whole. That I must operate in their systems, play their games, and listen to their awful rhetoric is unacceptable. Their actions are a clear path to the extinction of all life on this planet.
So if you are reading this, take care of yourself out there. Do good. Say what you need to say. Be kind. I’m rooting for you as much as I root for myself. If you can’t do much, then do what you can.
Taking care of myself and being objective is the path I choose to take during this time. The greatest power I have is the ability to make a different choice for myself and others. And when I do that, I have a chance to make the world better.