pezar wrote:Autism is frequently mistaken for schizophrenia by many people, and in fact used to be called "childhood schizophrenia" in the old days. A number of people have suggested that Chris was schizophrenic, but it doesn't fit-he never said anything about hearing voices. It's been suggested, also, that the founders of the world's great religions, such as Buddha and Jesus, were autistic. Who in their right mind gives up a life as a pampered prince (Buddha), a successful carpenter (Jesus), or a life as a privileged upper middle class person (Chris), to wander the earth, live among the destitute, in search of ultimate truth? Most "neurotypicals" simply can't comprehend actually DOING it, no matter how much they admire those who do. Autistics typically don't care about manipulating people in order to get a leg up, and in fact are utterly unable to do so. They don't care about being rich, or having stuff. They're more likely to contemplate the Big Questions, why does the universe exist, why am I here, that sort of thing. The thing with an autistic person is, their brain is wired differently from a NT. They're Macs in a Windows world, to use one well known metaphor. Why didn't Chris search for a place where he could cross the Teklanika safely? Maybe it simply didn't occur to him. An autistic sometimes can't see the most obvious solution unless it is pointed out to him.
This is interesting. I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 7 years old. Often times ADHD can be confused with being Manic depressive or a lower spectrum autistic. I relate so closely to what the current view of Christopher is, both in morals and the drive to do the impossible. You guys wouldn't understand the risks I take sometimes. In my own personal opinion, I could see Christopher as being autistic but if he was it wouldn't change my perspective of him. People just need learn that learning/neurological disabilities are nothing to be afraid of. People like Leonardo Da Vinci, Michael Jordan, Will Smith, Elvis, Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, Steven Spielberg, Babe Ruth, Walt Disney, JFK, Ben. Franklin, Pres. Lincoln, Pres. Roosevelt, Pres. Eisenhower, and Beethoven all had ADD/ADHD and exhibited the same traits as Christopher McCandless. See the websites http://www.adhdtexas.com/famouspeople.htm and http://www.adhdrelief.com/famous.html (references)