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Look beyond ‘neurodivergent’ and embrace human uniqueness like Jesus
A childhood memory of soup-label fundraisers inspires a reflection on today’s “neurodivergent” label, urging readers to see people as unique children of God, not categories.
By Julie A. Ferraro | FāVS News Columnist
The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News.
Back when I attended Catholic grade school (more than a half-century ago), we participated in a fundraising program that involved saving Campbell’s soup labels. Every time a can of soup was opened at home, I remember carefully slicing the label down the side and removing it — leaving the can looking quite ordinary.
(All those thousands of labels went toward acquiring much-needed equipment for the school. Kind of a neat idea.)
Another memory is of the “damaged” shelf at the grocery store, where dented cans were offered for a greatly reduced price, some of them without labels. Buy one of the latter, and you weren’t really sure what you’d find when it was opened: baked beans, split pea soup, cling peaches.
Labels can limit personal growth
Since the turn of the 21st century, a new label has been plastered freely on a lot of people: neurodivergent. Added to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary in 2002 and the Oxford English Dictionary in 2019, it is a new word to describe what was considered an “old problem”: the fact that different human beings think and act differently.
Neurodivergent is an “umbrella” term, according to a “Word of the Week” column on the NPR website. The idea is that, when an individual’s thought processes “diverge” from the “dominant norms” — or, more simply, what society believes to be “normal” — that qualifies them to be labeled neurodivergent.
Labels, in my opinion, limit the possibilities of growth, understanding and interaction between people.
Recently, in my Instagram feed, an interesting graphic randomly appeared titled “Soft Ways Neurodivergents Say ‘I Care About You.’” I read this with interest, just to expand my knowledge base, and found that I fit some of the statements.
As when, if someone is comfortable sitting next to another person in silence, and there is no pressure to talk, it means, “Your presence is enough.”
When labels have limits
Well, heck! That’s a key aspect of many Catholic religious communities: being a presence with the people to whom they are ministering. Does that mean all Catholic vowed religious are neurodivergent?
Very possibly! That’s because these vowed religious defy society’s attitude toward what is “normal.”
So did Jesus, for that matter.
Case in point: another statement on the graphic refers to fixing something for someone without being asked. That symbolizes “I show love through doing.”
Jesus lived by that statement, as the Gospels record over and over.
He asked “very direct or ‘unexpected’ questions,” showing he wanted a real connection with those he encountered, “not surface-level” interactions.
The parables Jesus shared were evidence that he paid close attention to those around him, telling them the exact story they needed to hear at that moment — another sign of neurodivergence.
Pausing to think about this … does that mean society considers anyone neurodivergent who consciously puts others first in their lives, is truly kind, respectful and finds more value in relationships than the constant pursuit of fame, fortune and power?
The very idea makes my skin crawl, to be honest.
Consider removing labels altogether
The notion that people need to be labeled at all is bothersome. Why can’t one person relate to another without stuffing them into a box of preconceived notions?
Jesus didn’t do that. He didn’t care if someone was a Jew, Roman, Samaritan, rich, poor, and so forth. He ate with “sinners” — but who labeled them sinners? Not Jesus. They were all human beings, children of God, worthy of unconditional love and respect.
A major concern — in my book — about labeling people “neurodivergent” means there’s something “wrong” with them, even requiring medication. This presumption leaves me wondering: If those like Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison or many authors of great novels were deemed neurodivergent in their day, would they have been medicated to the point of fitting into the definition of “normal,” and what would we have lost as far as inventions, technology, comedy, drama, poetry, etc?
Let’s remove the labels and look at each other as marvelous, unique human beings!
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