humanity
Advocates, icons, influencers, and more. All about humanity.
Surviving Surviving
No one taught me how to be handicapped. How am I supposed to be something I was never taught to see? When I was a girl eating bologna sandwiches and watching the history channel instead of cartoons on Saturday mornings with my father, he told me I could be and do anything — well, except be a surgeon or fly a plane, as if those could ever be my only two limitations. I was raised to be and feel normal and think my handicap was just part of normal life, that there was no difference between me and someone who is not visually impaired. And that is one hell of a way to be. It really is. But my desire to be normal drove me to being embarrassed and even ashamed of my handicap to the point I would go to great lengths to hide it. The last thing you would ever hear me say was “I can’t see it.” No one showed me how to own it. No one understood the pain, anger, trauma, and isolation I feel about it. No one gets what it was like being a survivor. And survivor is such a bullshit term too for someone who still feels like a victim.
By Queen James8 years ago in Longevity
Disabily: Disabled or Differently Abled
Handicapped, disabled, special, and the dreaded "r" word. Those are all terms that are often synonymous with people who have different needs. The world has been changing so much in the last few decades and the LGBTQ community has been becoming more accepted and pride has blossomed. Awesome!
By Rachel Bonyai8 years ago in Longevity
Do Autistics Really Have No Empathy?
Since I started researching my symptoms I've come across article after article stating that autistic people cannot feel empathy. One thing I've noticed is that all of these articles are written by people who do not have autism. Knowing that I have a great deal of empathy, I started asking other autistic people what their experience with empathy is. The overwhelming response has been that autism actually increases empathy to a point far greater than the empathy experienced by your average individual. The problem is that the brains of people without autism do not function in this way so it is impossible for them to understand fully. Communication issues also make it difficult for autistic people to explain the experience fully. I will try my best to explain how empathy affects me and hopefully this will help others to understand better.
By Aspie Insider8 years ago in Longevity
Invisible Illnesses
96% of people living with chronic conditions have invisible illnesses and chances are you know at least one of them, but do you know exactly what their struggles are? Have you ever wanted to know more about their situation but don't know how to approach them? Here is a list I have compiled of things that many of us living with an invisible illness want you to know.
By Leslie Montaño8 years ago in Longevity
How the Opioid Epidemic Effects People with Chronic Illness
I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in May of 2017. Yes it is still new, I know I have not had it as long as others have. That does not make my pain any less real. I feel pain consistently every single day. It is very unfortunate that I have to consider this “my new normal.”
By Natalie Chatman8 years ago in Longevity
The Reality of Life
This might sound crazy to some, but my biggest fear as a human being, other than losing family, is the future of our species. As a fellow human, I am connected to all of the people on this planet. Due to that, I am truly worried about the way we treat our home. I have seen the movie Wall-E and the concept is pretty accurate. One day Earth will be covered in trash and we are going to be faced with a choice. The human race will either die, or colonize another planet.
By Luke S. Thompson8 years ago in Longevity
Starting Points and Self Perception
There will be several points in your life where you will ask, “Who am I?” Each point may be at a pivotal moment in your life ranging from your sexuality, your career plans, or even a change in your lifestyle; all of these moments come with difficult decisions that you will have to make in order to improve your life.
By Braiden Pergis9 years ago in Longevity
Dream Child
Around mid-July I was listening to the radio, just cruising in my red truck, with my radio blasted on an average day to work. My ears were suddenly perked up by a story I began to listen very intently to on WM-PR. This was the story of a woman whose name was Tanya. In my mind I imagined her as woman who had ruffled, short, Jet-black, and spiky hair. She wore a leather jacket and a crop band tee-shirt along with stone-washed, ripped jeans.It wasn't so much the punk-rocker image as much as the angry glare on her face and the craving for darkness that stuck out to me. As she began to evolve to me I fell deeply into her story, I fell in love with this image that so accurately described me seven years ago; I was tough,and I was hardened. My heart was impenetrable and I loved only as deeply as I could feel; which wasn't much more than a paper cut. I became quiet, dark, angry, fiercely introverted and deep into myself. I understood Tanya, and the pain she felt. Tanya had a rough childhood, she had been abused, unloved,and no one could reach beyond the dark tower that she had built around her heart. For a person who loved words and connecting with people, I became the opposite for many years; a person who could only connect with my demons.
By Jordan Sophia Thomas9 years ago in Longevity
