The parable of 'The Blind Men and the Elephant' and the Autism Spectrum.

[MROSS]

Not sure where to post this. I chose the 'Friends, Family, and Social Skills Forum.' - as the parable of 'The Six Blind Men and the Elephant' most commonly presents challenges for adults on the Autism Spectrum in social situations.

From my personal experiences, describing the parable of 'The Six Blind Men and the Elephant' to people who knew this parable yielded that "it is what it is" response as to what adults on the Autism Spectrum may commonly experience. Any specific experiences to post?

The moral of the parable of 'The Blind Men and the Elephant' is highlighted in purple in the first paragraph block of LINK.

LINK: Blind men and an elephant - Wikipedia.

 

[Levitat0r]

Not sure where to post this. I chose the 'Friends, Family, and Social Skills Forum.' - as the parable of 'The Six Blind Men and the Elephant' most commonly presents challenges for adults on the Autism Spectrum in social situations.

From my personal experiences, describing the parable of 'The Six Blind Men and the Elephant' to people who knew this parable yielded that "it is what it is" response as to what adults on the Autism Spectrum may commonly experience. Any specific experiences to post?

The moral of the parable of 'The Blind Men and the Elephant' is highlighted in purple in the first paragraph block of LINK.

LINK: Blind men and an elephant - Wikipedia.

There are urgent imperatives for unity, and to come together as a body, with each part having differing gifts or specialties in order to apprehend a whole rather than its parts. This is among other beliefs which recur around the world, despite being separated by time and geography. The Golden rule is another, and it shows up everywhere.

 

[mw2530]

I think the parable could also describe NT's understanding of autism. Many may understand bits and pieces, but rarely understand the whole picture. And some don't understand any of it or have misconceptions.

 

[Levitat0r]

I think the parable could also describe NT's understanding of autism. Many may understand bits and pieces, but rarely understand the whole picture. And some don't understand any of it or have misconceptions.

I don't think anybody actually understands autism. If you ask me, it just means you lack a bunch of instincts, and maybe reflexes, and have to do a bunch of stuff by volition, and it makes you look bizarre to people, and they hate you. But that's just my experience.

I was thinking of matters more philosophical and universal than just what it is that is odd about us as individuals, though.

 

[mw2530]

I don't think anybody actually understands autism. If you ask me, it just means you lack a bunch of instincts, and maybe reflexes, and have to do a bunch of stuff by volition, and it makes you look bizarre to people, and they hate you. But that's just my experience.

I was thinking of matters more philosophical and universal than just what it is that is odd about us as individuals, though.

The parable could probably be used to describe many different things. Since it is universal, I think it can be applied to many situations including NT's interpretation or understanding of autism.

 

[Levitat0r]

The parable could probably be used to describe many different things. Since it is universal, I think it can be applied to many situations including NT's interpretation or understanding of autism.

You don't need to be understood, you need to be loved, and you're not going to get that from people who don't think you're a living thing.

 

[Hypnalis]

The parable could probably be used to describe many different things. Since it is universal, I think it can be applied to many situations including NT's interpretation or understanding of autism.

Agree about the intention of the story: it teaches that understanding is dependent on knowledge, and incomplete knowledge implies incomplete understanding.

But NT understanding of ND is something else.

It's dangerous to use the same assumptions as "the blind men and the elephant".
Or rather, not considering the assumptions of the story leads to the reader taking on the role of a blind man rather than the sighted observe, who possesses more than simple vision: the observer has the writer's "eye of god".

The question for us is: can a random NT ever understand us?
IMO it's not possible without considerable study.

The best evidence for that is the reverse view: ND's are quite bad at understanding NTs.

At first you might think "it's an innate limitation of NDs (i.e. NT's don't have it)".
Which would lead us back to the story and its underlying assumptions /lol.

Between a random NT and a random ND there's no "eye of god" - both are "blind men".

Note that many (though not all) of the people in the ND support/treatment business are also "blind men".
It seems to be improving, but there's a long way to go.

The best evidence: it's still considered meaningful to talk about "change yourself" VERSUS "change the world". This contains another "poisonous assumption".

 

[MROSS]

Glad this discussion-thread is "breaking the ice."

To further clarify, the parable of 'The Blind Men and the Elephant' presents challenges even amongst NTs and adults on the Autism Spectrum (including High Functioning (even NT-like Autism)) who are acquainted, and even trusting of one other.

 

[Au Naturel]

'The Six Blind Men and the Elephant is a cautionary tale. We are all blind, and we shouldn't write off other's experiences because they differ from ours.

 

[Levitat0r]

'The Six Blind Men and the Elephant is a cautionary tale. We are all blind, and we shouldn't write off other's experiences because they differ from ours.

Well, to me, it resonates greatly with my own beliefs, and I have to add it to the list of things that the Buddhists seem to share in common, and surely by non-coincidence, and it supports the theory that those who seek find, even independently of the tradition in question.

Seen as a cautionary tale, the immediately pertinent lesson, to me, remains the issue of the Civil Rights dialogue. You don't know what it's like to live in the same partition as the have-nots (until someone abruptly dumps you into it), and much of the view you have on them comes from people who are themselves biased about bias for a combination of economic, publicity, and political pressures. You assume they had might as well tell you the truth, especially since they brag so much about equality, but they are not going to feel safe telling you the endless procession of unambiguous abuses, and things which are clear-cut do not sustain the controversy that drives free publicity and marketing for a news agency.

 

[Shevek]

There's always more to learn. I have a cartoon by S. Gross with a seventh blind man, squatting down behind the elephant, declaring "An Elephant is soft and mushy."