By: Will Barrett
I should preface this by saying this is a heavy subject… Most of the things I think about tend to be, because my brain goes deep into thought. Sometimes it’s a profound answer to a pressing issue, and other times it’s a bitter pill to swallow, but I’d rather tell the truth if nothing else.
Having autism, I have the hardest time socializing in today’s society. I believe it puts a lot of pressure on people, and sometimes that pressure can be terrifying and overwhelming to an autistic kid, and even worse for an autistic young adult. Let’s be perfectly frank with each other – this world is in a mess right now; pandemics and economics aside, it’s as though talking to people is more of a chore than it should be.
I understand that the world isn’t always in black-and-white, but there exists a lot of gray area. I find myself literally trying to dissect and deduce a person’s personal beliefs and viewpoints within the first few minutes of conversation before I move past small-talk. I feel like Sherlock Holmes, except not as accurate. Once I have an idea about them, I try to filter everything I say around them to avoid causing offense. The problem I have with this is the more I filter what I have to say, the more deconstructive and limited the conversation becomes. Needless to say, I don’t do well with filters, and some would argue that I don’t do well without filters. My opinion is the more filters you apply in a conversation, you leave less and less room for the truth.
I’m probably stepping into it here, but I see it happen the most in Christianity, more specifically Prosperity and/or Cultural Christianity. Without dropping names, I know of leaders in church settings that either misinterpret the writings of Paul, as Peter predicted would happen to his writings (2 Peter 3:16), or who purposefully take the Bible out of context to fit their teaching. These days, it’s more about “grace” than anything else, and while grace is a prime ingredient in God’s love for us, that is not the extent of the Gospel.
I think we need more people in this world who are willing to speak the unfiltered truth. Wrong does not become right even if it’s accepted by a majority, and lies do not become truth even if they’re accepted by a majority. When I think about what Ausometistic stands for, I have no choice but to tell the unfiltered truth. The day I become more selective with the facts about my autism is the day less questions are answered. Facts are facts, and I’m not always going to say something that will make you feel particularly happy or good. Would you rather have someone tell you part of the truth, or all of it?
