Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997)
It may seem hard to believe, but 2022 marks the 25th anniversary of Princess Diana’s tragic death in a Paris, France tunnel. At age 36, she was taken away from her admirers and her two sons, William and Harry. But it didn’t have to be this way if the ones who hounded her didn’t invade on her privacy.
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Let’s be real, personal space and boundaries are essential to maintaining a healthy and well-balanced life. Unfortunately, there are some celebrities out there, male or female, that get their personal boundaries violated simply because of their status or their stalkers have a right to invade their boundaries as they please. There are also those who aren’t celebrities to begin with and they still get their personal boundaries crossed.
However, for those on the autism spectrum like myself, respecting personal boundaries is something we don’t really understand or don’t even want to learn. Believe me, I struggled with maintaining personal boundaries with others, particularly with women on the spectrum and unfortunately, I had to learn the hard way of my actions in the forms of being blocked on social media, defriended on Facebook, etc.
In fact, one of the reasons why I don’t used social media for personal use anymore is because social media is like a drug, something you can use because it’s free and you have no strings on you.
Again, it’s like that “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” syndrome that I have talked about in the past. You can be like Dr. Jekyll without social media and with social media, you can turn into Mr. Hyde.
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Learning how to respect the boundaries of others has been one of the toughest lessons I have had to learn. But it’s something that helped me become the person I am today. As a self-advocate, I am trying to be a good role model for others and that includes respecting the boundaries of others, regardless of whether they are in the autism/neurodiversity community or not.
My number one rule in life is to treat others the way you want to be treated. I try to stick by that rule, but there are times where I don’t even realize I am breaking that rule until it is too late. Sometimes I learn my lesson and without even realizing it, I start back on breaking the rule again. What’s more is that I am someone who tries to follow the rules and if I break the rules, I don’t know until it is too late.
I gotta tell you that every time I had unintentionally crossed the boundaries of someone, I feel like a complete idiot and are beating myself up over it. I’m not the type of person who tries to hide my feelings or actions of what I do because even though its hard, it has to be done out of respect for myself and the respect of those whose boundaries I unintentionally cross.
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The fact is that our actions have consequences and had Princess Diana gotten the respect she deserves from others, then she would still be alive today. The same goes for anyone who wishes to have a private life because that’s just who they are, people who are private.
For those who are neurodiverse, it is hard to understand. I get it, but it’s a part of life that we have to learn about it over and over again until we get the message.
In conclusion, if you want a visual representation of how to respect the boundaries of someone, check out this Season 2 Episode of “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.”
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Catch you all later!!
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