A blessing, a curse or both

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Hi everyone, I'd like to talk to you about what we all suffer from and whether you consider it a blessing or a curse or possibly both, and the difference between the 2 things. I understand you might call it by different names, but I refer to it this way because its easiest for me. I hope you dont mind, of course.
Well, you see... the reality is even though the disadvantages appear to be worse than the advantages and overcome them, there are still some advantages to being autistic or with asperger. I wont go deep into these advantages and disadvantages, but I'd like to find out what it really is all in the end actually.
For me, it has always been like a problem which never goes away, it just might be hidden deep inside at some point especially when you learn how to not show it or show signs of it in social situations especially.
I remember back when I was naive and had no idea how to hide it, everyone had noticed these signs about me and noticed significant differences in my voice, my behavior and so on, and they didnt explicitly tell me there was something wrong. They just acted like there was something wrong, and tried to get away from me every time. It was an unpleasant situation, of course.
But I think, there is a blessing to this problem too. I mean, when you have to deal with such a big problem, you dont actually have to. I mean, someone who is anti-social or is terrible at making friends or being social, doesnt have to change himself and work hard to be someone who can be social or can easily make new friends, and so on.
He can just stay alone and avoid friendships or social situations. Thats what I did, and thats why I never had to go out there and have to deal with these things.
However, I realized that even though I have my asperger, it wasnt always because of my asperger that caused the lack of social encounters and situations. I just have in my personality, a lack of interest in generally in big house parties or dance clubs and the like. I dont enjoy it because it doesnt fit my style. I think, even if I didnt have the asperger I would still not be interested in these things. Thats what actually makes the biggest difference.
The problem is I thought that because everyone around me is interested in these things but I dont, means I'm a weird person or someone who would never have friends unless he starts to like doing what others like to do.
I realized there are people like me, and that I just have to find them. They exist. The day I realized that, was the day everything changed. I was very happy from that moment forward, especially after I realized that.
But we all gotta deal with problems that never go away, and even if you act 100% normal, people never look at you 100% normal no matter how hard you try.
Its a blessing and a curse for me, so its both for me basically.
If anyone can share what they think about all this and maybe even share your own story, it would be appreciated. Thank you.

I think it depends on the way it affects an individual. Being intelligent, good attention to detail, ability to hyperfocus on useful special interests, and naturally lacking enough social skills to not care about relationships with other people, probably makes living with ASD more of a blessing to some.
It's more of a curse when you're like me; socially orientated but awkward, naturally crave social approval from others, and get depressed if rejected or humiliated. My special interests consisted of being obsessed with people and being like a stalker or a pest to them, which nothing good can come out of really. Each time someone points out a social quirk I beat myself up about it, even though with a diagnosis of ASD and ADHD I'm supposed to expect to have some social quirks, but I still can't bring myself to accept it like that.

In a poll taken six years ago on this website, the following relevant results were obtained:

10% said, "Totally Blessed: I see nothing wrong with having an ASD."

31% said, "Mostly Blessed: It has some cursedness too."

32% said, "Neutral: It's just the way I am, for better or worse."

18% said, "Mostly Cursed: It has some blessedness too."

 8% said, "Totally Cursed: I see no benefit to having an ASD."

Percentages were rounded off to the nearest integer value.

Western society is becoming more autistic anyway here in the UK pubs & clubs are closing everywhere, many young people are not that interested in that anymore, not just my opinion but something that gets regular attention here in the press. Many youngsters just prefer communicating on Facebook / snapchat.

Everyone glued to a screen even in restaurants sitting opposite each other.

When I was young you had to go out to meet girls, which meant you needed friends because you obviously couldn’t go to these places on your own because that would make you look odd and unattractive.

So, there was a big incentive to make friends, which created some strange entities called frenemies, where even those who didn’t really like each other used to hangout together for the bigger prize of meeting a sexual partner.

These days you there is dating apps which is a huge boost for those with ASD, not only do you not need to hangout with anyone or anyone you don’t really like but you can just be yourself even meet others with ASD. There`s even a show on TV called The Un-Date-ables here in the UK, which shows autistic couples being matched for a date.

Neither or both.
Just the brain you got, not good or bad but the only one you will get

It is more of a curse when I am stressed, especially in my 20s: outcast and suicidal. It's more of a blessing other times, especially now: in the moment and very happy. My NT husband envies my happiness, but not my meldown/shutdowns.

Characteristic of autism, I am (relatively) better at math (than other Theory of multiple intelligence)

There could be other advantages of autism, but I have not noticed them

Characteristic of autism, socially awkward,. Many everyday noises sound way too loud

Both/neither.

It's the only neurology I currently have. Sometimes it mattered, sometimes it's not.
Sometimes either didn't mattered as if it's just some reference that can be examined, or it went too personal and conditional that it's a label that either holds back or encourage -- a blessing and a curse.
Sometimes I embrace both fully for it is a part of human experience.

No matter how relevant, I'm not going to enumerate traits of why or my own circumstances as to why 'both/neither' is my own answer.
Because sometimes it mattered, sometimes it doesn't.

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Ways it's a blessing:

Good memory for facts and broad general knowledge base (although I believe that comes from reading a lot on a broad range of topics)

I'm far more functional in everyday life than I was just six years ago.

Vastly improving social skills

Ways it's a curse:

Anxiety/panic attacks
Still behind the curve in attaining significant adult milestones (particularly in the area of love and dating).

Both. 'Nuff said.

For me it's a mixture, it seems to do some things I like and other things I don't like.

I like the white heat of enthusiasm I get to feel when pursuing an off-the-beaten-track interest, the clarity of thought when I hyperfocus, the excellent (by some standards) results I achieve because of my perfectionism, I like being an eccentric who is relatively free of the shackles of "oh, you've got to do it that way, everybody does it that way." I like having a strongly analytical brain and being able to solve pretty much every problem that occurs to me with novel solutions that most people wouldn't have thought of. I like being able to see things that most people seem blind to, and to express a fresh and unusual take on ideas, standing concepts on their heads while most folks are just trotting out the same tired old memes that they swallowed wholesale from some flawed authority or other.

I don't like my executive dysfunction. I don't like finding it so hard to shift my focus from the detail to the overview. I don't like having short-term memory problems. I don't like the social anxiety, embarrassment, fatigue and frustration when I'm stuck with conventional, mainstream people who seem to know something about how to gel with each other that I can't seem to quite get. I don't like my selective mutism and my inability to break into a group conversation without seeming rude. I don't like being so slow to make friends. I don't like the loneliness forced on me by needing hours of isolation to decompress. I don't like the frustration of wanting to do art half the time but finding my analytical brain keeps sucking me back into technical activities. I don't like having such difficulty in getting service providers to co-operate with me in real time. I don't like finding it so hard to initiate things. I don't like being physically uncomfortable in my own body.

I imagine I would enjoy it more with superior external circumstances. I feel like my mind can be an intriguing place to be under good conditions, but under negative conditions I am easily perturbed. I also despise the reality of enduring so much unwanted social interaction.