Underneath the surface of internalized ableism, a fundamental truth about human nature often goes unrecognized: no one truly wants to be seen and heard by the masses. Instead, people naturally prefer to be understood and loved deeply by a few, while sharing an innate desire to love, care for, and help one another. This relational capacity is what defines us as sacred human animals. Continuous, meaningful dialogues about mutual commitments are what make life sacred, allowing humans to create shared meaning for and with one another as part of the ongoing, lifelong process of becoming.
Following recent discussions surrounding the inability of many autistic individuals to think in terms of rigid social hierarchies—opting instead for relational ways of living—a timely submission arrived at the AutCollab inbox ahead of the NeurodiVerse Days of Intersectional Solidarity. The inquiry, submitted by the founder of a neurodivergent community who also works as a therapist and identifies as Indigenous, highlighted a central modern dilemma: how to effectively promote mutual aid within marginalized communities where interpersonal trauma and deep-seated difficulties with trust are widespread.
The social challenges described and foreseen decades ago in the works of thinkers like Guy Debord and George Orwell have materialized into a profoundly disturbing reality, particularly for cultural minorities and intersectionally marginalized populations. Early cultural indoctrination into the ideology of homo economicus—the notion of humans as utility-maximizing economic units—continually attempts to transform living, breathing people into soulless transactional machines. For many autistic individuals, and arguably for everyone, a heightened ability to genuinely relate to other humans and non-human living beings directly correlates with a diminished capacity to engage in cold, transactional business. Beneath the heavy weight of internalized ableism, a sober observation holds true: everyone prefers deep, intimate bonds over superficial mass visibility.
Commitments Make Us Uniquely Human
Navigating this reality requires moving forward through an approach rooted in mutual trust, shared values, and commitments operating strictly at a human scale. Unlike the sweeping, impersonal mandates of bureaucratic systems, sacred commitments between specific people or small groups can be verbal or written, but they must remain scaled to the finite number of relationships that humans are biologically and emotionally equipped to maintain. As circumstances change, these commitments can be jointly updated to reflect evolving needs or ecological constraints. For those who identify as autistic, a significant portion of held beliefs naturally falls into this category, characterized by explicit, negotiated agreements with family members, friends, and colleagues.
In stark contrast, the massive trust deficits generated by the ideology of homo economicus stem from cultural beliefs absorbed subconsciously from a hyper-competitive social environment—origins that are frequently forgotten or unquestioned. For individuals who do not identify as autistic, a larger share of their worldview may be shaped by these unexamined cultural norms. Meanwhile, unilateral commitments made with oneself act as a personal, spiritual pledge to life and to the wider ecology of Gaia.
Breaking these foundational commitments invariably causes physical, mental, and spiritual distress. Humans evolved as cultural organisms precisely through this capacity for mutual accountability. Bilateral commitments offered by one party serve as sacred invitations to another, honoring the sanctity of relationships with all living beings. Through deliberative dialogue rooted in love, mutual respect, and understanding, these invitations can be shaped into enduring spiritual commitments to one another.
Unlike the standardized, industrial factory model of society, there are no simplistic, one-size-fits-all agreements. Every commitment is meticulously tailored to a specific relationship, whether with oneself—and by extension with the Earth—or with trusted others. By openly sharing these commitments within an ecology of care, individuals can better understand, trust, and rely on one another. Naturally, achieving this is far easier said than done when the surrounding cultural framework remains dominated by radical individualism and systemic distrust.
Deliberative Dialogue and Lived Culture
Continuous dialogues concerning shared commitments represent a vibrant, living part of Indigenous cultures, such as Māori traditions, demonstrating how communities can continuously honor life and the natural world. This communicative process infuses life with sacred meaning, turning human existence into a collaborative journey of mutual becoming.
Explicit social agreements that stretch far beyond a human scale carry severe structural limitations. This reality explains why Indigenous groups frequently engage in traditional practices of collective action to protect their communities and rights. In hierarchically structured societies, laws and regulations issued by distant regional or national authorities apply to vast populations, formulated with little to no meaningful input from those directly affected. Such blanket policies inevitably cause profound, untold harm that remains largely invisible to institutional authorities. Humans simply did not evolve to thrive in massive, hierarchically organized super-human societies, and pretending that such structures can be sustained without generating widespread suffering is an expression of anthropocentric hubris.
Intergenerational trauma remains a pervasive challenge, requiring intentional efforts to break destructive cycles without harming society’s most sensitive members—the very individuals uniquely capable of nurturing ecologies of care free from coercive power dynamics. The corrupting nature of coercive power has long been recognized as a root cause of systemic destruction, with civilizations that abandon traditional egalitarian social norms repeatedly descending into widespread suffering.
Autistic individuals often establish firm, internal commitments at an early age to minimize cognitive dissonance. Yet, when attempting to extend these sacred commitments to the wider world, they frequently discover that many people navigate life entirely devoid of deep convictions or genuine commitments. In a socially hyper-competitive environment, practical experience with de-powered, egalitarian deliberative dialogue is severely lacking. Without a solid foundation of meaningful commitments, life under the influence of homo economicus often feels empty and rootless, generating countless lost souls searching for purpose.
Co-Creating Ecologies of Care
Sacred commitments anchored in deep mutual trust and shared values form the bedrock of all healthy, sustainable cultures. De-powered dialogue designed to deepen shared understanding serves as an essential tool for maintaining and evolving these commitments over time, fostering a virtuous cycle of love, compassion, and trust even through difficult circumstances—a truth well-understood by Indigenous traditions worldwide.
The wisdom offered by Māori culture serves as a valuable gift during an era of global ecological crisis brought on by humanity’s collective ignorance and arrogance. Intersectional solidarity uniting Indigenous rights movements, the neurodiversity movement, and disability rights advocacy forms the core of healing from the cultural pathologies driving the current metacrisis.
This approach is not merely theoretical; it is actively reflected in the lived experiences of depowered, egalitarian worker cooperatives. Daily operations within these spaces rely on de-powered dialogue, omnidirectional learning, and consensus-based decision-making. Similar deliberative practices are found among hunter-gatherer societies, illustrating the timeless art of living sustainably at a human scale as integrated cultural organisms.
Engaging in de-powered deliberative dialogues within safe, supportive environments allows individuals to truly understand one another’s minds, sharing thoughts, reasoning, and core beliefs either verbally or in writing. This ongoing commitment to transparency and shared inner worlds runs counter to the demands of transactional economic systems, yet it aligns precisely with what human nervous systems evolved to handle. It is little wonder that many autistic individuals frequently operate at or beyond their emotional limits in modern society.
Furthermore, as digital interfaces increasingly mediate human interaction, the ability to extend deep trust has grown rare. Human nervous systems are deeply interconnected and embodied; interfaces inherently limit this humanity by acting as non-living, anthropocentric machinery. Deep down, people know and feel the necessity of being fully present with one another. Co-creating resilient ecologies of care remains sacred work that can only be accomplished collectively.
