They say that as we get older, we become wiser. Sometimes I think that’s what we say to make ourselves feel better about getting older but I’d like to think there’s also some truth to it as well.

That being said, we need to have a talk.  Yes, I’m looking at you Autism Community.

Our community has a major problem that is impacting our ability to accomplish our goals. The goal I’m referring to in this post, centers around the most basic, fundamental task that we as members of the Autism community have undertaken.

This goal or task is the one unifying commonality that we share and yet, on a whole, we are failing to realize.

When you remove any and all things that divide us as a community, the one thing that everyone one of us should have in common is that we all want to make the world a better place for our loved ones with Autism.

This one fundamental thing should transcend all of our differences but sadly it doesn’t.

We have allowed our differences to so deeply divide us, that much of the time we don’t even view ourselves as equals.  That’s heartbreaking and frankly, we should be ashamed of ourselves.  We are failing our loved ones with Autism, as a result of our intolerance of each other and our differences.

It’s always the same thing too.

Some of us are for vaccines and some of us are not.  Some of us want to cure our kids with Autism and some of us don’t.  Some of us support certain Autism organizations and some of us don’t.  Some of us mainstream our kids and some of us don’t or can’t.  Some of us put faith in special diets and some of us don’t.  Some of us put our faith in science and medicine while some of us don’t trust either.

This list could go on and on but the point remains the same.

Somewhere along the way, a line was drawn in the sand.  On each side of the line are people with opposing views.  On each side of that divisive line, are people who love their kids, family or friends with Autism and yet we are often oblivious to the fact that the person standing opposite us, feels the very same way about their loved ones on the Autism Spectrum.

As someone who’s been knee deep in the trenches, trying to construct bridges in order to bring all of us together, I can tell you that it can get pretty nasty out there.

Bullying, both in person and online, are all too common.  People harass and shame each other all the time.  We don’t see eye to eye and rather than put those differences aside and work together for a common goal, we pretend that the other person isn’t there or worse, cast stones.

This must stop.

This must stop in order for us to actually make head way in regards to helping the world better understand and relate to our loved ones with Autism.  This must stop in order for us to present a single, united front.  This must stop so that we can be a postive example to the world and demonstrate how to relate to people who are different.

We are stronger together and better balanced because of our differences, not in spite of them.

Let’s get over ourselves and start working together because our loved ones with Autism are counting on us to walk beside them on this journey.  Any time and energy we spend on stupid bullshit, is time and energy that we could have been giving to our loved ones on the Autism Spectrum.