Forget trying to be normal, we should nurture our diversity

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22830413-600-forget-trying-to-be-normal-we-should-nurture-our-diversity/

Sept. 30, 2015

The idea that there's an ideal way of thinking can make it harder to accept those who think differently. But greatness lies in different ways of thinking

AM I normal? It’s a question that most of us ask ourselves at one time or another. We are troubled by inner voices or strange little obsessions; we worry that we are different, that we have weak powers of concentration or poor self-control. But without direct access to other people’s thoughts, we have only the vaguest hopes of knowing.

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There is a case to be made that focusing on “normality” obscures the positives of thinking differently. Leaf though the annals of art, science or literature and it is striking how many great figures are described as eccentric, awkward or absent-minded. We owe a great deal to those who think differently from the norm.

That is one reason to celebrate the rise of the neurodiversity movement, an offshoot from autism activism. Many schools and some employers have adjusted their environments to utilise the skills and cater to the needs of the non-neurotypical. Social events are following suit. Let’s hope we continue to learn that it is normal, and indeed, good, to be different.