Throughout history humanity has been blessed with genius. These people have given us science, art, leadership, and literature that has literally shaped humankind. Imagine what our world would be without Albert Einstein, Sir Isaac Newton, Abraham Lincoln, Plato, Michelangelo, Beethoven, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, Marilyn Monroe, and Winston Churchill. Every one of these people was truly gifted - brilliant in their area of study. Every one shaped our world, some more than others. And every one of them struggled with either autism or some form of mental illness.
The two most shared "disorders" amongst these amazing people were OCD and bipolar disorder. It is possible to make posthumous diagnosis of people based on either their own writings and accounts, or accounts by people who knew them. Either way, it is commonly accepted that they, and many others, suffered from OCD, bipolar disorder and depression even though those actual "disorders" didn't exist in their lifetimes.
These mental illnesses are tormenting. They cause excruciating pain to both those who suffer from them and to their loved ones. They truly have no mercy. However, there is a flip side. They can, at the same time, create genius. Beethoven, while arguably one of the most gifted composers of all time, would at times fall into deep depressions followed by periods of highs where he would compose many works at once. Perhaps it is fair to say that the human brain is more complicated, and more intricate than anyone can possibly imagine - capable of producing both brilliant genius, and great suffering. Autism is NOT considered a mental illness, but more a developmental disorder of the brain. Albert Einstein was thought to be a high functioning autistic person. Clearly, autism is also complicated and has many layers.
Today we spend much time trying to treat these disorders in children - and treat them we should. For they can be debilitating. However, with the labels of OCD, bipolar, depression, even schizophrenia and autism comes a stigma. The stigma says that you are weak. You are unstable - even dangerous. What if instead we recognized that these children were capable of true brilliance? What if instead of treating these children as if they had something wrong with them, we told them they had a gift? A gift that they had to manage properly in order to see it come to fruition. A gift that was given only to people who were smart enough and careful enough to know how to use it wisely and for the right reasons. Imagine the shame that could be lifted off the shoulders of so many if they realized that their burden was really a blessing? That they were capable of seeing things in a way that others were not. That they could use this skill to help others and help the world.
I want my two daughters to know they have a gift. Yes they have to work harder than other children sometimes in their own ways. Yes they have to see doctors and therapists and take medicine. But the brilliance they are capable of is beyond measure. It is almost effortless, yet it is driven and intense. As a teacher I strive to have this same attitude with my students. Because sometimes our most difficult challenges are our greatest gifts of all.
I'd like to leave with a word from Steve Jobs, who had a few things to say about fitting in...
"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do."
:)
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