To anyone who's interested in reading this, hi, Humble/HNM here. While it's very easy to overlook and/or forget about this, today is actually one of my favorite days of the year, because it turns the spotlight over to a number of very important people in my life. See, as I have shared with some people in the community on occasion, I myself am on the spectrum, or as many people like to phrase it nowadays, "neurodiverse". While many people have heard of the term "Autism", my specific condition is probably one that a much smaller number of people have heard of; it's called PDD-NOS, which is short for Pervasive Development Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified. Despite the lack of people who are familiar with it, symptoms-wise, it's very similar to "high-functioning" forms of Autism, so if you've met anyone like that, that should give you a pretty good idea of what sort of condition I have.

Anyway, to turn the focus of the post back to where it's intended to be, I wanted to use this as an opportunity to give a special shout-out to anyone else in the community who happens to fall somewhere on the spectrum. In my early years in particular, I went to a lot of social groups that were either specifically or partially geared towards people with Autism, so overall, I spent a lot of time growing up with other people who fell under that general term. It wasn't always easy, especially dealing with those who had higher needs since I myself had some pretty strong sensory issues, meaning, for example, if someone had a screaming fit or invaded my personal space, I dealt with it even less well than others would.

However, I find myself looking back at even these instances with a sense of fondness, because I think they helped me not only see, but appreciate just how diverse people on the spectrum are, as well as the types of challenges each of them face. Despite what I mentioned in the previous paragraph about having a good idea of what sort of condition I have if you've known people with "higher functioning" forms of Autism, what people often say nowadays is also very true: if you've met one person with Autism, you've met one person with Autism. A number of us share certain commonalities, but in the big scheme of things, we're also as different as any other random group of people you can put together. Our interests, hobbies, pet peeves, strengths, weaknesses, routines, everything. They all vary greatly from one person to another who has a form of Autism.

That's why, as I've grown older, I've also begun to appreciate something else; when I get down to it, especially as I've seen many other people on the spectrum come into their own, discover who they really are and what they want to be, there's no denying that many people on the spectrum are simply among the most awesome people I've ever known. Their capacity for empathy in many cases is enormous, you can pretty much always rely on them to be honest with you whether you like the answer to your question or not, they have an appreciation for the smaller details of how many things work that others just don't care about, which gives you someone to talk to if you happen to be someone who also appreciates/cares about those things, and they're often downright brilliant in some regard or another, if not in multiple ways.

These are some rather broad descriptions, but all of them apply very frequently to the many people on the spectrum I've had the privilege of knowing, and in some cases, the privilege of still being friends with today. Despite all of that though, I've saved what I truly think is the best point for last. The thing I most appreciate about many people on the spectrum? Because of all the aforementioned points and so much more, many of you are shining reminders and examples of how "different" is far from bad or less, but rather, good, even great. And because of that, by just being who you are, you're helping neurotypical people across the world who have the privilege of knowing you develop an open mind. Through you, they see that if anything, the term "disability" is a gross misnomer for what you have; what you have is a gift, and if applied right, you have a great capacity to help change the world for the better, even if it's only a little. You also frequently bring out the best in others, both by challenging their preconceived notions of how everything works and bringing out their empathy due to them seeing what additional challenges you have to face compared to them on a regular basis just to get through this thing we call "life", and in some cases (many, perhaps?), still managing to crush it by simply being great people.

Because of people like you, I'm able to wear my own diagnosis as a badge of honor; it is truly just that to be put under the same umbrella, so to speak, as many of you brilliant, kind and all-around wonderful individuals. On this wiki's "sister site", we may celebrate and bond over fictional heroes the way we do with fictional villains here, but in my opinion, you people are the real life heroes that make life worth living (it's also because of this particular point that I like to think this post isn't entirely "off-topic", and therefore, won't be deleted). Remember, pertaining to the above point, life is challenging for everyone; sometimes, it can seem outright overwhelming, callous and cruel when you're forced to witness some of the awful things going on in the world, as well as the equally deplorable ways some people treat other people (including on these very wikis from time to time!). However, no matter how alone, depressed, angry, misunderstood or downright terrible this makes you feel, remember; there's always good people out there, many natural wonders, and good things happening in it too. Depending on your situation or the particular experience you're going through, they can be much harder to find then we'd like them to be, but they are there. Many of us are just predisposed to focus on the negative. That's simply a part of being human.

Today, however, because of what this day represents, I'm reminded more than ever to look back at all the great people I've known, many of whom are Autistic or are neurotypicals who have done so much to support people like us, and I find myself beaming. I can't speak for others, but for me, people like you outshine the darkness any time my thoughts turn your way. So for all that, I want to extend a strong heartfelt thank you to everyone on these wikis who fits those descriptions. I know you're here, because I have had the privilege of interacting with a number of you since I joined Fandom, and you know who you are. Happy World Autism Awareness Day!