Dealing With Neurodivergent Social Justice Sensitivity
“I am impertinent.”
For those of you not familiar with the wonderful world of Percy Jackson, one of the best neurodivergent characters in modern literature, this is one of my favorite quotes. It’s from the first Percy Jackson book called the Lightning Thief. He is angry at the Greek gods because they have put him and his friends in danger time and time again on a mission to retrieve something they lost and insists of sending them Medusa’s head as a message, despite his later girlfriend, Annabeth’s warning (I won’t spoil anymore, I promise, but PLEASE read them. The second season of the awesome Disney Plus show will be here because you know it).
I love it that qutote because it captures how I often feel whenever something beyond my control has made life hard for a person or people I care about. They can be my family, my friends, my clients at work (I’m not a child outpatient therapist), or just people being targeted by a new policy that makes it harder for them to access things they need. The definition of impertinent, according to the dictionary, is “not showing proper respect.” And that captures my determination to take control and help them, however I can, even if it means upsetting those with more power than me. Because I know that I won’t be able to sleep at night unless I know I tried to make the world a better place for them, even if I fail.
Lots of neurodivergent people - kids and adults, girls, boys, and gender non-conforming - share my strong social just sensitivity. We feel other people’s emotions so deeply that feeling like we can’t help them can feel uncomfortable and downright unbearable at times. It can feel like a personal failing if we can’t do anything. Honestly, that’s why I chose social work versus other mental health professions. Because of its commitment to making the world a better place, to advocating for those with less power.
With so many policies that impact people’s abilities to get their needs met up in the air right now, that makes it really hard for me to feel like I’m ever doing enough to try and make a difference. It’s not easy, and I’m still definitely working on it, but I’ve learned over time that throwing myself into concrete little things that I can do to help others makes it a little easier. I might not be able to change political decisions at the end of the day. But I can empower my client’s to advocate for their needs and give them tools to help. I can sign petitions, participate in advocacy campaigns through my temple. And I encourage you all to do the same. Because it might not be on the scale we’d like, and the scale might feel like they’re too small to matter at times, but I promise you. It does matter. I have to remind myself that multiple times a day that I’m making a difference, but finding small, concrete actions to help others who are dealing with larger social issues helps me stay sane when it feels like the world is “falling on its face and doesn’t have very far to go” to quote the musical South Pacific.