Composing to avoid Cacophony --- Understanding asynchrony

​It is hard to understand any BIOLOGY outside of the Environment and that's both a physical environment and a social environment.

The great MODERN ENTREPRENEURS and BENEVOLENT DICTATATORS and NOT SO BENEVELOENT DICTATORS often are NEURO-DIVERSE and if they are at the top they may feel safe to be open about that ---- Richard Branson and Elon Musk come to mind.  ​

BUT you've really got to be at the TOP and feeling relatively INDEPENDENT --- often FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT but INDEPENDENT in other ways as well--- to be open about NEURO-DIVERSITY.    ​​​

Further, NEURO-DIVERSITY is often like that ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM -- that nobody's talking about in this case --- because they don't really SEE IT or UNDERSTAND IT  ---

• This ASYNCHRONOUS ELEPHANT is CONFUSING to everyone --- including the person.
• Further, we and individuals themselves have ASSUMPTIONS about HIGHER ORDER THINKING and its relationship to EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING --- and the experience often the PAINFUL EXPERIENCE of NEURO-DIVERSE PEOPLE is that REALITY is much more COMPLICATED than those ASSUMPTIONS. ​

Asynchronous Development In Gifted People

So while NEURO-DIVERSITY tends to bring with it BIG STRENGTHS which can be in HIGHER ORDER THINKING that need to be DEVELOPED, EMPLOYED and REWARDED --- it brings BIG CHALLENGES too --- often in EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING.  ​

If you DEVELOP and REWARD those NEURO-DIVERSE STRENGTHS and OTHERS COMPENSATE for REMAINING CHALLENGES ----

• that person can start to look AMAZING and probably is doing AMAZING THINGS. ​

--- the other hand, if you don't DEVELOP and REWARD those DIVERSE STRENGTHS and people become SOCIAL OUTCASTS because all anyone can see are the WEAKNESSES: 

• that person can start to look TERRIBLE, and in one or more ways probably is DE-COMPENSATING. ​

Take the "O Train" to get to Criminal Justice Reform in a Hurry

​Jazz Academy at Lincoln Center (2020)

​Music scholar Greg Thomas discusses the lasting legacy of Duke Ellington's 1943 masterwork "Black, Brown, and Beige."

One of the many interesting observations of Thomas is that Ellington composed with certain musicians in mind --- understanding their strengths and weaknesses.

That complicated challenge is what we are called on to do as a Society.

Elon Musk

WHERE THIS STARTS TO GET BLURRED:

• If we set people up on a PEDESTAL --- they are going to FALL OFF --- either in their LIFETIMES or to be WITNESSED BY HISTORY
  • ​People are NOT PERFECT --- and for some / many NEURO-DIVERSE people those BIG STRENGTHS come with some BIG WEAKNESSES.  ​

See The Microbiome, Stress, Trauma, the Anna Karenina Principle & Justice

Most people are dealing with COMPLEX, IDIOSYNCRATIC combinations of FACTORS (most of which aren't even HUMAN --- think the MICROBIOME) that are playing out INDIVIDUALLY in this MOMENT in TIME.​​

• Ironically, it is UNDERSTANDING the BIOLOGICAL BASIS of BEHAVIOR that argues AGAINST:
  • SOCIAL HIERARCHIES and
  • EUGENICS
• And FOR:
  • ​​A more COMPLICATED and CHALLENGING VIEW of HUMAN STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES  
  • ​​That is NOT on a WILD GOOSE CHASE for the PERFECT PERSON, but is ---
  • Taking people as THEY ARE:
    • Developing, Employing & Rewarding Strengths AND
    • Compensating for Weaknesses to the best of our ABILITY

Duke Ellington Composing

​​It's the DIFFICULT TASK of COMPOSING with the MUSICIANS in MIND --- ALL The MUSICIANS. 

• Y'All MEANS ALL  ​

​
​And because NONE of US are PERFECT --- we MUST do this together.

Richard Branson