Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2009 6:45 pm Post subject: The Peace Core
There's an important social skill under the microscope here. Most of us, Aspie or not, are raised in a culture that teaches and promotes agression, fear, conflict: the adversary philosophy. But the reality of human relationships is, we attract what we project. In other words, when we project fear, we attract people that want to activate that, and we become adversaries.
In addition to learning the niceties of social interaction, we have an opportunity and a requirement and a gift to learn peace. This means peace must be at our core so that peace is what we are projecting.
For parents, it may require a re-thinking of what "spacing out" actually is: meditation. In this state the person is receiving spiritual sensations and determining a proper response to them. It is like a mathematician pondering an equation, or a physician examining a patient. In this condition, the better the foundation the scientist has in his craft, the more likely s/he is to arrive at valid conclusions and in a timely fashion.
When we use adversarial philosophies to examine a situation in meditation, we are only exascerbating the wound. The key of the scientist's training is aquiring skill in a mental discipline that is proven effective. In human relationships this discipline is love.
There are innumerable texts that teach the science of love. For myself I found satisfaction in the simple works of Peace Pilgrim and a method of verbal interaction called Tactical Communications.
Like others, Aspies learn best through example, so it is extremely helpful when parents adopt loving attitudes and practice them, and recognize that non-loving words and actions cannot extricate their children from fruitless patterns of response to challenging situations.
Finally, I believe we need all the friends we can get. When can we feel better than when a friend asks us for help and we are able to give help? You have parents to consult with. And please do not keep the situation from your employer. It is likely s/he has had the same experience and can give you sound advice.
God bless and good fortune!