Tool wrote:
The first two years of high school for me were horrible, lonely, agonized years where I had no direction or any hope for a future. At lunch I'd sit against a wall until it was over. I'd go home and play video games or go on the internet. It was terrible. I was terrible.
Then I snapped out of it. Now I have tons of friends and a direction for the course of my life. But first I had to snap out of this victim mentality.
The very name of this website implies a sort of "Oh poor me" feeling that is just sickening. Wrong Planet? Oh it's just not fair! Why was I born this way? I'll just have to console myself with the thought that it's completely out of my hands as I sit alone, generally miserable but knowing it's not my fault! Am I right?
What is wrong with you people? Are you gonna let this mental disorder define your entire life? Is it who you are? Are you destined to be a social outcast because of bad genetics, or mercury in your flu shots, or whatever unknown pathology causes these supposedly related pyschological symptoms.
Or are you going to put yourself around people, make friends, learn signals, force yourself to make eye contact, and all that happy horses**t? This 'condition' seems like it's giving all you people an excuse to be miserable and wallow in self pity because you were 'born this way'.
Everyone has some disadvantage, you don't need to obsess over it all the time. Take charge and stop thinking of yourself as some helpless loser who can never change.
I came here when I heard of William Fruend posting on the Something Awful forums. Even in my darkest, loneliest days it never occured to me to wallow in self with a bunch of socially awkward geeks just like me in some communal reinforcement circle jerk forum.
And may the great garfield not strike my message of hope from these forums like so many shattered puckins.
Self pity? No. I come here because it's one of the few places in the world where there are lots of people who think like me. Many of them have also shared the same difficulties that I had in my schooldays.
If you are interested in sports, it makes sense to seek out other sports fans. The same logic goes for AS.
Mental disorder? Not in my opinion. Different way of thinking and looking at the world. If we all sat around and talked about the weather, nothing much would get done.
As for defining our entire lives, OF COURSE IT DOES. It is an integral part of our fricking personalities. We can, and should try to overcome the difficulties, but there is no way we can change our fundamental personality.
Eye contact? What is it with NTs and eye contact?
I. Hear. With. My. Ears. Understand?
Helpless loser? Yeah...
IQ somewhere in the high 120s/low 130s
Studying at my country's top musical institution
Play 11 instruments
Planning on doing a psychology degree once I get my music degree
Well liked by the (admittedly few) people who have got to know me
Also quite well liked by my casual acquaintances
Not one enemy
Admired by all who know me for my intelligence, musical ability and knowledge of psychology
Facing up to my social phobia by going and starting conversations with random people on trains (all you do is throw up in terror, then go and introduce yourself.)
This really sounds like a helpless loser, doesn't it?
Socially awkward geeks? What, may I ask, is wrong with being socially awkward?
_________________
Music Theory 101: Cadences.
Authentic cadence: V-I
Plagal cadence: IV-I
Deceptive cadence: V- ANYTHING BUT I ! !! !
Beethoven cadence: V-I-V-I-V-V-V-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I
-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I! I! I! I I I