🖊️ by OddlyRobbie — One of One

Preface:

There’s a strange pressure in this world to look people in the eye. A social ritual. A signal of truth.

But for folks like me—neurodivergent, hyper-attuned to the emotions you think you’re hiding—

eye contact isn’t just a glance. It’s a floodlight.

So I wrote this for everyone who’s ever been told,

“Just look at me.”

⸻

They always say it like a command —

“Look me in the eye.”

As if it’s a test of honesty.

As if looking away means I’m hiding something.

But here’s the truth you might not be ready for:

We avoid eye contact not because we can’t connect —

but because we already are.

And sometimes… it’s just too much.

When I look someone in the eye,

I’m not just seeing what’s there.

I’m seeing what’s buried:

• The discomfort you cover with a joke.

• The insecurity tucked inside your bravado.

• The loneliness between your constant words.

It’s not magic.

It’s pattern recognition.

A finely tuned nervous system that reads the room

without asking it to speak.

⸻

You say we’re “not social.”

But we’re watching everything.

We just don’t see the point in pretending we’re not.

You talk about what you saw on TV.

You echo the rituals of your group,

hoping they’ll mean something

if you repeat them often enough.

And when someone like me doesn’t play along,

you call us distant.

Or cold.

Or broken.

⸻

No.

I’m just not interested in clucking in the coop

when there’s a sky out there

with room to breathe.

⸻

Here’s something most people don’t know:

If I hold your gaze for 3 to 5 seconds, you’ll feel reassured.

But push it to 7 seconds?

Suddenly, you’re the one who gets uncomfortable.

You’ll ask, “What’s wrong?”

You’ll wonder what I’m hiding.

Funny, isn’t it?

How quickly roles reverse

when the connection gets real.

Did you know that if you lock eyes with someone you care about

for just a few uninterrupted minutes,

Did you know that if you lock eyes with someone you care about for just a few uninterrupted minutes,

your heart rates synchronize.

Your breathing syncs.

Your pupils dilate together.

It’s not a metaphor—it’s science.

And most people will never let it happen.

Because that kind of closeness?

It strips away performance.

It demands presence.

But my partner did it in under 10 seconds.

First try.

No hesitation, no fear—just open eyes and open heart.

I felt our nervous systems shake hands.

And suddenly, everything else—the noise, the masks, the roles—fell away.

That wasn’t practice. That was real.

That was love showing up and saying,

“I see you.”

Real connection doesn’t take time. It takes truth.

your heart rates synchronize?

Your breathing syncs.

Your pupils dilate in unison.

You become connected in a way that’s biological, undeniable—

and terrifying to most people.

Because that kind of vulnerability?

That’s not small talk.

That’s soul talk.

This is eye contact.

This is real connection.

But tell me…

how many people are actually ready for that?

⸻

And what about animals?

You say we’ve evolved—

that we’re “better.”

But animals don’t lie to impress.

They don’t invent holidays to mask their emptiness.

They don’t gather in rooms to perform a truth they don’t believe.

They just are.

Present. Honest. Unapologetically real.

If anything, we should be learning from them.

From the gentleness of a capybara.

The non-threatening calm of a manatee.

The radical peace of simply being.

But that would require shedding a lot of masks.

And you’re not quite ready for that…

are you?

⸻

So next time you tell someone like me to look you in the eye,

ask yourself first:

Are you ready to be seen?

Because I don’t play pretend.

And my eyes don’t lie.

⸻

💬 Closing Thoughts

You don’t need to make eye contact to make a connection.

You just need to mean what you say.

And if you truly want to see someone like me —

Don’t look into my eyes expecting a mirror.

Be ready for a window.