ADD, a Good Thing?

Have you ever wondered why some people have to deal with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), while others don't?  It doesn't seem fair, does it? A very intuitive doctor once helped me to see ADD in a new light, and gave me a different perspective.

One day I was visiting with this doctor, and he told me that ADD was not a disability or a disease, he said it was just a different way of thinking.    This doctor explained that in today's world we have adjusted to our culture, promoting people whose brains work well in this environment into our teachers and leaders.  Others, whose brains work differently, have a hard time fitting in.  On the other hand, those same people, in an environment suited to the way their brains worked, would be the leaders and the teachers.

For example, back in the days when hunting was the only way to provide food, someone with ADD would excel.  Imagine sitting in a tree watching for animals.  I would stare at shady places, trying to see what was hidden in the shadows, or focus on wherever else I thought an animal might be going to come.  Someone with ADD, on the other hand,  would be attracted to every little movement, never focusing on one object for long, being able to shift and change and see all the things going on around them at the same time.  They would be the ones who caught the most food and provided well for their families. My family would starve.