Page 3 of colloquium reader
"ADHD is now considered by many researchers to be an organic disorder associated with differences in the brain morphology of children...Between 2000 and 2003, spending for ADHD on preschoolers increased 369 percent"
It angers me that people consider ADHD to be an organic disorder. I do not believe that ADHD should be considered as an excuse to deal with hyper people. My cousin was diagnosed with ADHD and his parents put him on Ritalin. I can say from experience that he was a normal kid. He didn't excel in academics so the parents concluded that he needed meds to help keep him focused. He used to tell me he hated taking his medication and that it didn't help him focus any better in class. I think the real issue had nothing to do with a hyperactive lack of focus and a lot to do with lack of interest in school all together. When students are bored from reading textbooks and doing classwork we tend to daydream and think about what we'd rather be doing with our time. Students miss out on a lot of social activities etc. whenever we're forced to study things that do not interest us. I believe my cousin was simply not interested in academics. He is hands on like me. He enjoys being outside, seeing trees, breathing air, and doing physical labor. The world has such a demand on children to be successful. A lot of the time society tends to believe success comes from studies. I'm not claiming that a college degree can't help you be successful, but success doesn't come from a qualification. Success comes from people working hard at something they believe in. Maybe, we need a different approach to learning. A more hands on approach that gets kids out of the books. Give kids something to study that they're passionate about and they will go places. Give them a musical instrument to learn or a car to build. I think too many kids are labeled as ADHD by teachers and parents that are too lazy to deal with a bored fed-up student. So, it is easier to put them on medication because that's what researchers and experts recommend. I also think the increased spending on ADHD is a waste. People are hung up on medical cures. Medical companies produce millions of prescription pills and create a huge market selling their poison to people that don't know any better. Some medical discoveries are miracles. People with diabetes need insulin. Call it what you want but ADHD medicine is legal meth and it affects the brain like other stimulants do. Bored youngsters that are acting out do not have morphological differences in their brain. If we continue to feed our children ADHD meds that affect their natural functioning brains, we are only clouding their creative thoughts and damaging the organic brain they are so lucky to have.
Pages 6-7
"In 2001, Hartig demonstrated that nature can help people recover from normal psychological wear and tear-but nature also improves the capacity to pay attention...those who had walked in the nature preserve performed better than the other participants on a standard proofreading task. They also reported more positive emotions and less anger."
I can vouch for this personally. Nature helps me cope with my stresses and leads to a happier me. After I got dumped by my girlfriend and childhood friend of 8 years I was the lowest I've ever been. The one thing that helped me move on was hiking. Hiking allowed me to slow down and think. The natural settings definitely soothe my soul. Something about being so far out away from all the noise is soothing. It pulls you away from studies, work, and everything clouding your vision of what is actually important to YOU. I have for sure 100% noticed a change in the past year in my attitude towards school and just life in general. I'm much happier than I have ever been. I think nature is always there for us and we are too caught up in the mix of things to appreciate it. The world is a happier place with more trees in it.
Page 5
"Our brains are set up for an agrarian, nature-oriented existence that came into focus five thousand years ago...Neurologically, human beings haven't caught up with today's over-stimulating environment"
I agree. The modern world demands so much from us. We need a computer to look at, a phone to make calls, a car to drive, and a grocery store to buy our food from. The truth is we are just animals. The things we need to exist are provided in nature. We wouldn't catch a wild animal, put them into a concrete atmosphere and expect them to have a normal functioning brain. Humans are no different. We evolved out of the woodwork just like all living things on the entire planet did. Our relationship with the earth and its plants is deep in our roots. We've been munching on plants and whatever we could gather for thousands of years. I think humanity is due for a big wake up call. We can't keep up what we're doing to the earth at this rate if we want to protect our fragile ecosystems for the future. We evolved to sustain our lives with what the earth provided. And she provided us with limited resources. Technology has come a long way in the past 100 years and it seems we are drifting away from our "agrarian, nature-oriented existence" and segregating ourselves as far away from nature as possible. Its even hard to find organic produce in the store (a lot of produce contains GMO's and pesticides). When I do find organic produce the price on it is unaffordable. It saddens me to know that we have created a monetary system which we allow to dominate everything. Until mankind created this false reality, the earth used to provide more than we could ever need. We, as conscious people, can revert back to an organic lifestyle, ditch the things not necessary to our survival, and create a "neo-paleolithic" community.
No comments:
Post a Comment