Sonja:
Welcome to another episode of Femme on Fire.
2
:
I'm Sonja.
3
:
I'm your host.
4
:
One of the questions I get often is
why everybody is getting diagnosed
5
:
with ADHD or some other autistic trait.
6
:
Is it a disease of modern society?
7
:
Is it a disease at all?
8
:
Is it a disability?
9
:
Well, let's give some answers.
10
:
First of all, it's not a disease.
11
:
And personally, I wouldn't even
call it a disability in general.
12
:
Although there are exceptions, of course,
a disability is something that really
13
:
hinders you in normal day to day life.
14
:
So you can experience it
in that way at some point.
15
:
Well, it can be a great asset
as another phase of your life.
16
:
So.
17
:
But I still wouldn't call it a disability.
18
:
To get back to the original question.
19
:
Neurodivergence is not new at all.
20
:
It actually is of all times.
21
:
The only reason why we are now focusing
so much on neurodivergent minds is because
22
:
we, humans, decided in the last hundred
years or so what normal should look like.
23
:
We created a pretty little box where
normal fits in and normal is ideal
24
:
for the education system and office
environment that we all seem to view
25
:
as being ideal for us as humans.
26
:
But a large part of our society
do not belong in that pretty box.
27
:
They are like rough diamonds.
28
:
They are too big to fit in the box.
29
:
So what do they do?
30
:
They make themselves square so they fit.
31
:
But when they are square, they are
dull and they are overlooked, while at
32
:
the same time they are trying so hard
to stay square and fit in that box.
33
:
But we all know that if you polish a rough
diamond into a diamond shape, it shines.
34
:
It becomes the diamond it should be.
35
:
With neurodivergent people, it's
exactly the same they should
36
:
shine for who they are and not
try to be someone they are not.
37
:
So, neurodivergent people existed
long before the box was invented.
38
:
It's more like an ancient
superpower that actually helped
39
:
humanity survive and thrive.
40
:
Think about it in this way.
41
:
In ancient times, communities needed
different types of minds to survive.
42
:
Some people were great at routine
gathering tasks, while others
43
:
excelled at spotting patterns
or exploring new territories or
44
:
solving really complex problems.
45
:
In ancient times, we did not
have to sit still all day.
46
:
So, men with ADHD, for instance,
would be great hunters or trekkers.
47
:
They would be analyzing the forest
to find and have enough energy
48
:
and hyper focus to follow prey.
49
:
And it's no wonder that now these boys
are bouncing off the walls, of course.
50
:
But for women, they would have been
the ones who found edible or medicinal
51
:
plants, or the ones that kept the tribe
safe while the men were out hunting.
52
:
And here's what really hits home for me.
53
:
Around a hundred thousand years ago,
human societies actually developed
54
:
something called collaborative morality.
55
:
They actually valued people based on their
unique abilities, rather than trying to
56
:
make everybody fit into the same mold.
57
:
Everyone had their place, their value.
58
:
And isn't that exactly what we
need in our workplaces today?
59
:
We don't need One mold that fits all.
60
:
There is evidence of A DHD like traits
going all the way back to ancient Greece
61
:
around 493 before Christ, Hypocrates
wrote about people with quickened
62
:
responses to sensory experience.
63
:
Sounds like ADHD.
64
:
And Alexander the Great born in 356 before
Christ, probably had ADHD traits as well.
65
:
And that helped him make
such a remarkable leader.
66
:
And throughout history, we see so many
people who have done amazing things
67
:
that have a neurodivergent mind.
68
:
Just think about Albert Einstein,
who revolutionized physics with his
69
:
theory of relativity, while showing
traits of autism and possibly dyslexia.
70
:
And then you have Isaac Newton,
who created the laws of motion
71
:
and universal gravitation.
72
:
while exhibiting traits
of ADHD and autism.
73
:
And also, in more recent times, we see
that people like Henry Ford, Bill Gates,
74
:
Nikola Tesla, Temple Gradin, I mean, she
revolutionized livestock handling systems.
75
:
They have had a great impact on the world.
76
:
And not only in business and
inventions does neurodivergence shine,
77
:
it's also in the creative field.
78
:
Think about Beethoven and Mozart
and Da Vinci and Dickinson.
79
:
They created their art for us to
enjoy, but they all were neurodivergent
80
:
So next time someone tells you that ADHD
or autism is a modern disorder You can
81
:
explain how Einstein and Tesla and Darwin
all likely had these Neurodivergent
82
:
traits and that really helped them to
change our world It's pretty amazing how
83
:
different ways of thinking might actually
be an evolutionary advantage, right?
84
:
We're not broken, we're not
disordered, we are specialized.
85
:
And in today's rapid changing
world, these traits aren't just
86
:
helpful, they are actually essential
for innovation and progress.
87
:
So, I hope to see you in the next podcast.
88
:
If you enjoyed this podcast, don't forget
to follow, like, subscribe, and share
89
:
with anyone who could benefit from this.
90
:
I will see you next time.
