Justice sensitivity in neurodivergent people is not some
dramatic personality feature. It is not a hobby, or a badge, or a spotlight
moment. It is more like a quiet internal flinch when something does not add up.
A tiny tug behind the ribs when the room pretends something is fair and you
know it is not. It feels physical, not philosophical. A knowing more than a
performance.
A lot of us grew up noticing things other people shrugged
off. Small comments that cut deeper than anyone else seemed to hear. People
being treated differently depending on their tone, their charm, their neatness,
their ability to play the social game. We watched it play out and we learned
the rules even if we hated them. Some rules were spoken. Many were not. Funnily
enough, the unspoken ones usually carry the sharpest edge.
People say neurodivergent folk take things too seriously or
overthink. I always wonder if that says more about them than us. Convenient
that the person who spots the nonsense is labelled the problem. Convenient that
the one who points to the imbalance is told to calm down. Often spoken in that
tired tone of someone who has never had to defend their right to be taken
seriously.
Justice sensitivity is not about wanting arguments. If
anything, most of us would quite enjoy a bit of peace. But once you see
patterns, you cannot unsee them. The unfair comment passed off as banter. The
hard worker overlooked for the charmer. The person dismissed because they do
not wrap their words in social padding. It sits with you. Not because you want
drama, but because pretending it is fine feels like you are turning on
yourself.
It is not always comfortable. Sometimes you feel alone in
it. Everyone else is nodding politely and you are thinking how are we all
pretending this is normal. That moment can feel heavy. It can also feel
strangely clarifying. Like you are slowly choosing yourself instead of moulding
yourself into whatever people prefer.
There is a tender bit to this too. Justice sensitivity does
not always come from righteousness. Often it comes from having been on the
receiving end of unfairness more times than you could count. When you have been
misunderstood, spoken over, or underestimated enough, you develop a quiet
radar. Some call it emotional intensity. I call it lived experience with a
memory.
Of course there are moments when instinct gets ahead of
facts. That is human. Especially with a nervous system that reads texture in
communication, not just content. The useful bit is noticing when that happens.
Not to silence yourself, but to give your instinct room to breathe instead of
pouncing. Curiosity sits well here. Not soft or passive. Just steady. What is
happening. What am I sensing. Is this mine or is this history tapping on the
shoulder.
What I appreciate in neurodivergent justice sensitivity is
its lack of performance. It is not loud for attention. It is firm for
integrity. It is not about winning. It is about not losing yourself in
environment that rewards comfort over truth.
People say we care too much. I would argue many people do
not care enough. Numbing yourself to unfairness is not maturity. It is
convenience. But some of us cannot play that game without feeling like we are
shrinking.
Justice sensitivity is not a flaw. It is a boundary. It says
I see what is happening and I will not pretend it is fine just to fit in. It is
not aggression. It is clarity. And once you start trusting it, life becomes
cleaner. Maybe not easier. But definitely more honest. And I would rather live
with honest discomfort than comfortable self betrayal.
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