The Rough Draft

I’ve long suspected that we’ve been lowering the bar for society. I think it was the first time I saw ten seconds of Jackass. It’s one thing to occasionally gargle stupidity but when it’s running countries, you’re in serious trouble.

Of course it starts with our children. Something every crackpot dictator has always understood. George Orwell understood it all too well. Read 1984 now and tell me there aren’t chilling parallels sitting in front of you in black and white.

Though my story today is more Aldus Huxley than George Orwell. Thanks to big Pharma, the mantra since the late forties has been, “Got a problem, take a pill.” A philosophy they’re making a killing off of (literally). Now I’ve nothing against pills. Sometimes you really need them to combat the ravages of disease, prevent a disease from gaining a deeper foothold in your body or to keep your brain chemistry in check and as my email seems to attest to… Keep the lead in your pencil (a problem of apparent pandemic proportions in the western world).

But it really is the brain drugs I want to talk about. Well one drug specifically. Ritalin. Now I’ve got nothing against the drug when it’s used properly and for it’s intended purpose. I’m very much against handing them out like Pez to keep kids doped up in school. The need for your child to be on brain altering drugs is initially diagnosed (suggested) by your child’s teacher. This happened to a friend of mine. His teacher suggested that he was ADHD and perhaps medication would be a good idea. This troubled my friend somewhat, nobody wants to think thier child has a mental illness or that they are different in a substantial way. Now my son is severely Autistic, no amount of drugs are going to make him all better (if there were, I’d sell the farm baby!). His diagnosis was reached under the scrutiny of a number of top child behaviour specialists and he is in a specialized program because of this. He’s very happy by the way, it’s a great program. My friend however felt a bit put upon. I got him the diagnostic criteria for ADHD from the DSM IV, his son did not fit the bill. In order to clear up any doubt and in the course of due dilligence he had his son tested. Turns out he has a rather high IQ, he does have a type of ADD but it’s of a type that’s corrected by behaviour modification not drugs. Better for him, better for society. Now my friend is a concerned parent who took thorough steps to help his child. How many parents just threw up their hands and in the case of expedience pumped their kids full of pills?

How many brilliant minds have we drugged into stupidity?

The way for a society to grow and become great is to set the bar, just out of reach, so you’re always grasping for the next level. Lowering the bar is no way to achieve anything. The victory remains hollow.

Time for us to stop championing mediocrity and once again reach for greatness. Yeah, the newsflash is we’re not all the same. That’s why I don’t hold the Olympic gold for the 100 yard dash. I shine in other ways.

Let our kids be kids… Not drugged out Zombies.