Mutation or Evolution

I still remember the first time I watched the movie X-Men First Class. There is a quote from the character Charles Xavier which deeply resonated with me.โ€œNo, seriously. You mustn’t knock it. Mutation took us from single cells organisms to being the dominant form of reproductive life on this planet. Infinite forms of variation with each generation, all through mutation.โ€   

Some people call it mutation and others call it evolution. For years, I have been talking about how that which is currently being labeled ADD or ADHD, or as I call it ADD/HD, is part of an evolutionary process which is here to help move the human race forward. These ADD/HD brains were the architects of the 20th century, and we would not be where we are without them.

I once stumbled across a now defunct article on WebMD titled โ€œADHD: Genetic Mutation May Be Key – Single-Letter Change in DNA Code May Spell ADHDโ€. While the article itself may no longer exist, a bit of digging will send the inquisitive mind down a rabbit hole of new information which expands on what the original article presented. Here is one such example that was published in 2024, and whose many authors include individuals from prestigious places like Yale University.

Of course part of me was ecstatic when I found that first article! Ecstatic to hear that there may be some evidence of a change within the human genome that is creating this improvement to humanity which we call ADD/HD, and that it is a natural evolutionary process. But one manโ€™s evolutionary process is another manโ€™s mutation which presents a new conundrum. If it is an evolutionary process, then trying to justify medicating it as a corrective action is not acceptable. However, if it is a mutation, then there is no doubt in my mind that those people who profit off trying to help those poor mutants are jumping for joy.

If you havenโ€™t seen X-Men First Class, I strongly recommend it. Not only does it say a great deal about manโ€™s intolerant nature, but there is a lesson about using drugs to fix something that wasnโ€™t meant to be fixed and in fact can turn a poor mutant into a real beast. Something, unfortunately, we have plenty of painful evidence to support on a regular basis.