Since ADD arrives in our minds through our genes, it’s been part of the human story for many millennia – far back in prehistory.
This makes sense. For early human tribes to survive the pressures of the Ice Age, as well as constant predation (we were cat food), a wide variety of cognitive styles needed to be present in every tribe, to boost the chances of group survival. Different kinds of problems call for different problem-solving approaches. And ADD is a problem-solving methodology in itself.
Imagine a Paleolithic tribe. Imagine that every member of the tribe has ADD.
Well, ADD is a great primitive skill, per Thom Hartmann; with our ability to scan the environment relentlessly, looking for change, seeking what’s different, we’d have been excellent trackers – we could find the gazelle herd out there in the wild, and the tribe would have steak that night. So an all-ADD tribe would be terrific, right?
Wrong. Another essential survival skill for our ancestors was not getting eaten. And nighttime, when the large predators come out, was particularly dangerous. Our protection was fire, which terrifies animals. We know from ancient archaeological sites that our forebears camped around large fires, both to stay warm and to ward off the cats.
Who keeps the fire going at night? An ADD person? Ha ha.
Human survival depended on a diversity of cognitive style within every tribe.
To get some insight into this dynamic, I recently conducted a phone interview with two with Chuck and Roger, two young tribal Cro-Magnons in the early Upper Paleolithic, male members of a clan roaming Western Eurasia. They had lots to share about their careers, their tribe, and life as it used to be…
MY INTERVIEW WITH CHUCK
So, tell us a little about yourself. What do you do for the tribe?
I’M A SHIFT LEADER ON THE HUNTER-GATHERER TEAM.
So you go out into the savanna and…
TRACK DINNER AND FIND SIDE DISHES. MY TEAM LOVES A GOOD MAMMOTH AMBUSH. APART FROM THAT, WILD BOAR. THE OCCASIONAL REINDEER. I SOMETIMES PINCH-HIT WITH THE ROOTS-AND-BERRIES GANG.
That sounds a little dangerous. Do you consider your job risky?
HELL, YES! POKE A 9-TON LEATHER BAG OF MUSCLE WITH A SHARP STICK ENOUGH TIMES AND HE GETS PISSED. FIVE OF MY HOMIES GOT TURNED INTO ROADKILL IN THE PAST YEAR ALONE.
What drew you to this line of work?
SEE, IT’S IN THE DETAILS. WHEN I WAS A KID I WAS ALWAYS GOOD WITH PATTERN-FINDING GAMES – “SPOT THE HYENA,” “WHERE DID LITTLE BROTHER POOP,” THAT SORT OF THING. HAVING THAT KNACK COMES IN HANDY WHEN EVERYONE’S FEELING PECKISH AND IT’S RAINING LIKE HELL AND YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHERE ALL THE CARIBOU WENT.
What do you like best about it?
WELL, THE SCENERY CHANGES, YOU KNOW? AND MARCHING BACK INTO CAMP WITH LOTS OF GOODIES INSPIRES… OH, LET’S SAY, ‘GRATITUDE’ AMONG SOME OF OUR MORE ATTRACTIVE CITIZENS.
Is there a downside to hunting and gathering?
WELL, THE AFOREMENTIONED GETTING-TRAMPLED THING IS ALWAYS A CONCERN, BUT ALMOST AS BAD IS THE PROSPECT OF GETTING LOST AND NEVER RECONNECTING WITH THE CLAN. I MEAN, THIS ISN’T AN ENVIRONMENT THAT’S PARTICULARLY CONDUCIVE TO AUTONOMY.
Is there anything you’d rather be doing?
SOMETIMES I FIND MYSELF HUMMING A CATCHY TUNE, AND I WONDER IF I PULL OFF A SET OR TWO AT CAMPFIRE.
How would others in the tribe describe you?
I THINK YOU’D FIND I’M WELL-LIKED AMONG THE CLAN IN GENERAL. I’M QUICK WITH A HIGH-FIVE OR A ONE-LINER. SOMETIMES I GO TOO FAR, I SUPPOSE. GOOSING TRIBAL ELDERS. PANTSING THE FIRE-TENDER.
What are your political views?
MY FRIENDS WOULD TELL YOU I’M A PROGRESSIVE LIBERAL, AND I CERTAINLY THINK THAT’S FAIR… BUT I’M LESS SANGUINE ABOUT RESOURCE ALLOCATION THEORY THAN MY PEERS. IT’S LESS A QUESTION OF OPTIMIZATION FOR THE SAKE OF EQUILIBRIUM, AND MORE A QUESTION OF HOW FAST A ROTTING MAMMOTH WILL DRAW A CROWD IF YOU DON’T STRIP IT AND EAT IT IN A HURRY.
What does ‘progressive’ entail, in your world?
WELL, IT’S ALL ABOUT EATING, ISN’T IT? ICE AGE OR NO, THE WORLD IS BURSTING WITH FOOD – YOU JUST NEED TO GET OUT THERE AND GO AFTER IT. SO, WHEN I THINK ‘PROGRESSIVE,’ I THINK, ‘ASS IN GEAR’…
Would you describe your tribe as a society?
IT’S EASY TO BE CRITICAL, YOU KNOW? WE LACK THE OBVIOUS ADVANTAGES OF HOMICIDAL RAGE WE OBSERVE IN OUR SIMIAN COUSINS. AND SOME OTHER SPECIES WATCHING US MIGHT JUDGE, AND SAY WE HAVE WAYYYY TOO MUCH SEX.
BUT IT’S ALWAYS BEEN MY FEELING THAT DESPITE OUR OBVIOUS PHYSICAL DISADVANTAGES, AS A SPECIES WE KICK SOME SERIOUS ASS.
MY INTERVIEW WITH ROGER
So, tell us a little about yourself. What do you do for the tribe?
THIS.
This, meaning…?
THIS. SITTING HERE, I MEAN. BY THE FIRE. IT IS MY JOB TO TEND THE FIRE. KEEP IT GOING THRU THE NIGHT.
To stay warm.
TO STAY NOT DEAD. THE FIRE KEEPS FELIX AWAY.
Felix…
BIG CATS. THE ONES THAT EAT US. WE CALL THEM FELIX. FELIXES. FELIX CAN SEE IN THE DARK, AND WE, YOU KNOW, CAN’T, BUT FELIX IS SCARED OF FIRE. SO MY JOB IS TO KEEP FELIX AWAY AT NIGHT.
How long have you been doing this job?
ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF.
No, I mean, altogether. As a career.
OH. SORRY. SINCE I WAS… AH… LET’S SEE… THREE YEARS OLD. NO, FOUR. NO, THREE. THREE.
What drew you to this line of work?
WANTING TO NOT GET EATEN.
What do you like best about it?
WELL, IT’S EASY ON THE BACK AND ON THE MIND, AND THE BENEFITS ARE GOOD. BUT THE HOURS TOTALLY SUCK.
Is there a downside to keeping Felix away?
SEE, THE THING IS, YOU KNOW HE’S OUT THERE, SO YOU’RE ALWAYS KIND OF AWARE OF HIM. SO I’M ALWAYS SCANNING FOR HIM, ALWAYS A LITTLE BIT AFRAID.
Is there anything you’d rather be doing?
I THINK I’D DO WELL IN THE FINANCIAL SECTOR.
How would others in the tribe describe you?
THAT’S NOT AN EASY QUESTION. YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE DON’T HAVE THE NUMBERS TO EFFECTIVELY SEGREGATE, THOUGH I CAN SEE AN UPSIDE. SOME OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE BELLIGERENT, UNCOUTH. ONE OF THEM KEEPS PANTSING ME.
What are your political views?
I LIKE TO THINK OF MYSELF AS SOCIALLY LIBERAL, BUT FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE.
What does ‘conservative’ entail, in your world?
WELL, IT’S ALL ABOUT SURVIVAL, ISN’T IT? THE WORLD IS SCARY AS HELL, AND NOT EVERYONE AROUND HERE HAS ENOUGH COMMON SENSE TO SEE THAT. SO WHEN I THINK ‘CONSERVATIVE,’ I THINK ‘PEOPLE WHO PREFER TO NOT GET EATEN.’
Would you describe your tribe as a society?
WELL, WE HAVE WAYYYYYY TOO MUCH SEX, IF YOU ASK ME. SOME OF OUR FEMALES ARE… IMMODEST AT TIMES. IT MAKES ME REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE. AND FREQUENTLY SELF-CONSCIOUS. LESS OF THAT, I THINK, AND MORE OF THE HOMICIDAL RAGE OF OUR SIMIAN COUSINS, AND I THINK WE’D SOMEDAY RULE THE WORLD…
Thank you for indulging me in a bit of fun there!
Back to business. It’s important to understand that ADD isn’t just a cool perspective from which to live modern life; it’s an essential part of the human story. How do you present this to a partner or friend?
“Did you know that some experts believe that people like me were an important part of prehistory? A person who has what we now call ADD would have been an excellent hunter-gatherer, an expert food-finder. When I first read that, I thought it was cool; when I thought about it some more, it made feel a little more special. I’m kind of proud of that legacy!”
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