The Environment, Sensitive / Reactive Systems & Enlightened Self-interest

• My experience is that the SOCIAL HIERARCHIES one is in during one's lifetime can change dramatically.
• Many people experience the Hierarchies in SCHOOL and ACADEMIA as significantly different in SOME RESPECTS than those found in most ADULT ENVIRONMENTS.

 

• For many Neuro-Diverse People --- SCHOOL is a TORTURE CHAMBER 

 

• ​​For others, SCHOOL is a DREAM COME TRUE.

 

• If that ENVIRONMENT is "WORKING" FOR US or "WORKING GOOD ENOUGH"--- we may see its FLAWS ---
  • ​BUT we don't have enough SKIN IN THE GAME to do the HARD WORK to CHANGE it.
  • ​OR Stick OUR NECKS OUT to CHANGE IT.

 

• What's the POINT?:  
  • ​DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS work for DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
  • Ironically, NEURO-DIVERSE PEOPLE often find themselves on OPPOSITE ENDS of the SPECTRUM --- 
    • ​That's a lot of what I'm trying to say with the "Odd Couple" --- Autism & ADHD --- which are surprisingly

​                         BLURRED.
Further, NEURO-DIVERSE People tend to be CONTROL FREAKS in their own ways because they are SO SENSITIVE or REACTIVE TO THE ENVIRONMENT.

Is the Line between --- "Oh, that person is so 'PASSIONATE and SENSITIVE' to that person is 'PATHOLOGICAL and REACTIVE' " ----- really SO FINE --- or are we just OBLIVIOUS to the many steps it took to get from one to the OTHER ---

AS WELL AS the DIFFICULTY of recognizing COMPLEXITY in ourselves and others.

Nowhere is that perhaps more on DISPLAY than the "GIFTED COMMUNITY" that is having a hard time recognizing that their EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING ISSUES are DEVELOPMENTAL and BIOLOGICAL ----

• which given the ASSUMPTIONS of the Society is quite understandable.

More and More --- "GIFTEDNESS" is recognized as part of NEURO-DIVERSITY.   

Who we are willing to recognize as "GIFTED" is also subject to UNCONSCIOUS THINKING & UNCONSCIOUS BIAS.  

A lot of "GIFTED" People are working to change that.

Frank Sinatra
That's Life

Big Chill (1983)
Rationalizations

In 1983, I was not in my 30s --- I was in my early 20s and at the TOP of MY GAME.

​In less than 5 years --- I was wondering what had happened.  ​

The Revivalists
All My Friends 

(I wasn't getting HIGH --- BUT I had my first MAJOR EPISODE of DEPRESSION -- and recall feeling as though I had jumped out of a plane without a PARACHUTE -- BUT I didn't know it was DEPRESSION)

So by my late 20s -- I was already struggling ---

I had assured my Mother who had grown up during the DEPRESSION with a SINGLE MOTHER with POLIO --- that this LIBERAL ARTS MAJOR was all going to work out because I was going to LAW SCHOOL and not only that I really wanted to be a LAWYER --- and SAVE THE WORLD.  

We all have SKIN IN THE GAME when it comes to CHANGING THE ENVIRONMENT

• That's why it is so hard.
• Ultimately, this needs to work for EVERYONE --- and that EVERYONE is DYNAMIC --- its not going to be the same in 50 years
• And we're likely going to understand more in 50 years than we understand now.
• Even if we don't have all the SPECIFICS of that KNOWLEDGE we can still operate under principles of the BELOVED COMMUNITY & ENLIGHTENED SELF-INTEREST in creating ENVIRONMENTS that are USER-FRIENDLY for DIVERSE USERS.

Alan Bloom on Enlightened Self-Interest