I agree. To me it's achieving a balance between my world and the world around me. And I don't see that as a unique challenge for ASDs, but for everyone regardless of whatever 'traits' we are born with. We all live in one tangled web of society with connections that are affected by our actions, and as such we all need to adjust to some level. To wait for mainstream to suddenly 'catch up' to us and just accept everything about every person is unrealistic at this point, which is also unfortunate but life. I think much of my depressive state is attributed to having trouble achieving this balance, because yes, most of us do want to find a place in the world to a certain extent. For instance, my brother didn't learn to tie his shoes until he was at least 10 yrs old, no matter how hard my parents tried to teach him. He also struggled with many other minor things such as bed-wetting, writing, talking too loudly, etc. which pretty much alienated him from everyone else, including myself because my traits weren't as severe. If he had had some sort of professional help early on, I'm sure he would be in a different mental state right now and perhaps have more friends and support. I don't see seeking therapy as trying to change everything thing about you, but I do understand that it is dependent on the place and person who is doing the therapy and for that I am now aware that I need to be looking out for these things.
But I will say, I've also learned to take pride in my autism, in that it helps me view the world with a much more unique vision whether others accept it or not. So far, after much self-training I am able to slow things down and find clarity in things and express it in a way that others can find immediate connection and agreement. I just wish I had been able to earlier in life to save me so much heartache.