Growth

For the first time in a long time, I feel pretty good about where my life is headed. I have a great job, I’m finally in the Master’s program I’ve wanted forever, my schedule is packed, and my brain is an empty sponge ready to absorb the truly important things in life. Like porn.

But then, there's this. I think I’ve mentioned my brother’s condition before. If not, let me break it down: he’s on the autism spectrum. It comes with significant difficulties in social interaction, along with highly restricted, repetitive behaviors and interests. For example, he’s been playing the exact same video game for five months straight without getting bored. When he interacts with others, he’s a bull in a china shop—screaming, grabbing at people's skin, or laughing out loud at an enormous mole. He doesn't have the slightest clue that it's wrong.

So, what does the future hold for him?

He can definitely get a job... but it’s the kind of job you try to hide on Facebook. He’d be great behind a desk, as long as he’s following strict instructions that require zero independent thinking. Fuck. There is no blueprint for what my family is trying to do for him. There is no light at the end of the tunnel because right now, we are the ones digging the tunnel. We are completely drained and confused.

There is an obsession with making everything uniform and profitable that it actively destroys human potential. Multiple intelligences. Different internal wirings. Everyone is good at something. Everyone should be entitled to develop their own specific potential.