Questioning Perceptions: A Deep Dive into Evolution and Self-Identity

Are we witnessing an epidemic of self-identifying conditions, or is there more than meets the eye? Join us as we peel back the layers on the intriguing topic "has science evolved to better diagnose conditions, or are more people simply looking for attention". We explore everything from the potential evolutionary causes, to the motivations behind self-identification. We also delve into the impact of societal trends on diagnoses. 

The conversation takes a turn as we question the concept of 'can't' and the reality of self-regulation. We probe the idea of letting others shine in their areas of strength, sparking an examination of evolution, genetic diversity, and the power of self-worth.  This episode is a fascinating blend of science, psychology, and philosophy that will leave you questioning your perceptions.

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Transcript

Speaker 1 0:24

Welcome to Peg and Coffee Top. Here are your hosts, Lady Ava and Lord Knight.

Speaker 2 0:34

So I was looking over the list of topics that you have for the podcast and one of the ones you had written down was why is everyone suddenly dyslexic? And I thought that was great, because I know where you're coming from, because it's not really about dyslexia, obviously, you're just using your own experience. So, yeah, let's talk about it.

Speaker 4 0:57

Well, let's think about how. And all this started all right, when I was younger. They found out I was dyslexic the whole nine years.

Speaker 3 1:05

No, big deal.

Speaker 4 1:07

And I never heard of it because I was born in the 70s. And now, when I became an adult, all of a sudden, if somebody wrote a letter down backwards once, oh well, I might have a little bit of dyslexia.

Speaker 2 1:24

But we have huge rises in all sorts of areas of the human condition ADHD, autism, dyslexia, autoimmune disorders yeah, like all these things that we didn't, you rarely, if ever, heard about, are now more and more common. So I guess the question becomes is this an evolution of humans?

Speaker 4 1:53

Or is this just? I need to be special some way.

Speaker 2 1:59

Maybe, or is it also, that science has just become a medical field, right, everything is more advanced, and so these things are easier to categorize or understand.

Speaker 4 2:12

Well, I mean it's kind of like what you? I hear the same thing, especially when we're using that word neurodivergence. And it's kind of like okay, when did this happen to everybody?

Speaker 2 2:22

Well, I think the idea of neurodivergence is very appealing to a lot of people, because I think when you really start stripping it away and you look at what neurodivergent people are capable of, how they see things differently, how they process information differently, yeah it's appealing. But the question then becomes do you also want to take the negative with it? You also want to take Right, I mean?

Speaker 4 2:56

I mean there's negatives about being dyslexic. There are certain things I do in my head that people don't realize I do.

Speaker 2 3:01

Well, I mean, I have. My niece is autistic.

Speaker 4 3:04

Yeah, and.

Speaker 2 3:05

I go, I mean she's a brilliant child but there's a host of issues and social distress that comes with her condition, despite how amazingly her brain works, right. So, yeah, I mean everybody wants to kind of go oh, I'm a little of this. I mean I also kind of liken it to sexuality. I mean when we were growing up, right, it was very cut and dry. I feel like again older generation, you know, 70s, early 80s initially it was like okay, there's gay and they're straight. And then the 90s, right, it was a joke for a long time, like everybody in the 90s was bisexual, everybody. All of a sudden being bisexual was cool, right, yeah.

Speaker 4 4:00

So yeah, I ran across a few of them, guys that never went out with guys, never pulled around with guys, but I am bisexual.

Speaker 2 4:07

Right, and women especially. It was normalized, so a lot of women were dabbling, exploring or kind of taking up the title and then you go. But are you really it's? So yeah, it's.

Speaker 4 4:22

Hmm, I just want to say, because I'm like you, I've heard, like these people, I've heard some things. I'm not sure how it is, but some of the pesticides and stuff on food May be causing some of these issues. There's because I know there's autism was linked to a certain pesticide.

Speaker 2 4:41

There, I think we're still theorizing there's so many things that have been linked to potentially other things, but nobody really knows for sure. Autoimmune disorders same thing, huge spike in them, and and now there's all these different names for them, right, we have lupus and we have MS, and we have fibromyalgia and and Haji motos, and there's an assortment of others, and again you kind of go has this always been there and we just didn't know it? We didn't have a way to diagnose it? Or or is something going on where it's now more common, right?

Speaker 4 5:20

Or is it just the latest fad?

Speaker 2 5:22

No.

Speaker 4 5:22

I mean because I remember them jokes in the 90s that they would often play on some of these shows where it was like my mom's got fibromyalgia. That is so last year.

Speaker 3 5:32

Yeah, why can't she?

Speaker 4 5:33

have this disease. That's more Mm-hmm. I mean that this became a joke for a while.

Speaker 2 5:39

I think aspects of it are always a joke. You know, my own personal issue is always when people say, oh, you're so bipolar, or right, that's so bipolar that person is behaving. It's like, wait a minute, if you actually had any clue what that meant and what you were saying, you would never say those words because in a casual sense right, yes, I think people understand what you mean it's you're saying that that person is mercurial and they're unpredictable, maybe, but to actually label them as bipolar is so. There's a bit of an insensitivity there To certain aspects of this, and I think that that's where your argument comes in. It's that people want to be unique, they want to be different, but they're not. Yeah, they're just not being sensitive to the people who are actually struggling with one of these conditions or you know whose lives have been made more difficult by it.

Speaker 4 6:41

Makes no sense to me. Sometimes again, like I, said I've sat down, I've had this conversation. You know, I remember one lady literally sitting there going yeah, she wrote a seven back once when she was right backwards. Yeah, I'm just like and so I'm dyslexic and you're kind of like, hmm, you know, and when you're sitting there trying to explain to people, now you don't know what it's like to have to sit at home. Wait for your husband or a family member to come home to read something to yeah. Yeah you're just I.

Speaker 2 7:13

You know, I don't know. I think you know there's a, there's classifications. These fall under, I think, the more physiological Conditions, the things that are neurologically impacting people. Something's up like something's wrong. You know what I mean? Right, this is rampant and Until science really gets a handle on what it is, what's causing it and why. I Don't know if we're gonna have answers there. But then the other case, the other components of it, yeah, I think I think people just aren't realizing what they're doing.

Speaker 4 7:53

I mean, it's just like I noticed. You know I remember being younger, I don't. I remember having my great-grandchildren and I know you occasionally have them.

Speaker 2 8:03

I have them as an adult. Yeah, I didn't have them as a child, but I've noticed that seems to be on an upright Mm-hmm so yeah, it makes me think there might be something we're in our environment or we're doing that.

Speaker 2 8:15

Well, again, I think you know that to me is an interesting debate about migraines, because I find more often than not that most of the people who go oh, I'm having a migraine, you're really just having a very, very annoying or bad headache. When you really experience or or talk to someone who suffers from migraines, you're talking about seeing auras and having vision blackouts and extreme sensitivities to light. My brother has them so bad his arm goes numb. That's one of the. That's one of the ways he knows that one is on setting His, he will lose sensation down to his fingertips, his vision will go wonky and he'll go. I've got 30 minutes, right, I need medication and I need it now. Well say, I looked at.

Speaker 2 9:12

I looked out on my migraines because we figured it out, it was that red diamond but then if you know, for some people yet they're not treated within a certain window I've seen it first hand He'll be based down in a toilet for two days.

Speaker 4 9:26

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 2 9:27

This is one of these migraines and it's awful. But yeah, that's not what most people know. They know headaches. So you know, are we over exaggerating a bit? Yeah, probably I. I've always found it humorous that humans have this need to sort of one up each other in their in their disaster ratio.

Speaker 4 9:52

Well, I'm sorry, any ratio sure, sure, but now.

Speaker 2 9:57

But for modern times it has become. I mean, I remember listening to my mom do it with her friends, like when I was growing up, you know it would be like, oh, I've had such a bad day. Oh, wait till you hear about my day right. And they would. It was like who could outdo each other with the worst news or the worst child or the worst like financial situation, or it was. It's kind of twisted when you think about it that people do that, but but yeah, it's an attention-seeking behavior for sure.

Speaker 4 10:31

Oh yeah, I remember my mom sitting there complaining when she found out all her kids picked up smoking while sitting there smoking on one herself.

Speaker 2 10:40

I don't know where they believe they're all smoking. Where my cigarette?

Speaker 4 10:47

I.

Speaker 2 10:48

That's really funny.

Speaker 4 10:51

Well, I guess my question is is on this I don't understand what would motivate. What do you think would motivate someone to want to do this, to claim to have something they really don't have?

Speaker 2 11:06

He's what I'm asking well, because, again, we tend to only look at the bright side and when it comes to neurodivergence, we look at all the amazing again, things attributes, skills that somebody with that ability can achieve. Here's another one for you. You used to never hear about Idetic memories, right? People who remember everything? Yeah, everything. They read, everything, they see, they can remember it Perfectly.

Speaker 4 11:37

You know we used to cover this photographic.

Speaker 2 11:39

Exactly so. Now it's. It's, you know, Idetic, photographic, whatever same thing, but you know it's very rare. It's extraordinarily rare to actually find someone who has this ability. But the more it was, you know, talked about in the media or it was portrayed in TV shows, all of a sudden people would go. I think that's me. I think I can do that. I never forget a face, or I never forget, and it's like no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You may have a good memory, but someone with an idetic memory it's not just a fun party trick. I'm talking about somebody who's plagued by every event that's ever happened to them in their entire life and every piece of information ever, ever.

Speaker 2 12:25

Ever. They are the fact that those people can walk and talk, and interact.

Speaker 4 12:31

I guess what people don't understand is a married couple with one of them having this, that person with that. That's never going to forget that thought, oh my God, they're never going to forget that slide.

Speaker 2 12:41

They're never going to forget. Yes, and often when you meet people who truly are, who have photographic memory, what's interesting is they're very cold, they're very stoic, they're very logical. Again, I don't know why I always go back. They're a little Vulcan. You know, I watch too much Star Trek, apparently. But and people mistake that, right, they think it's just a level of intelligence. Yeah, it's part of it, but the other part is this is somebody who's had to desensitize themselves to their environment to be able to survive, and people don't understand that. You know, it's really trippy and that's what's crazy when you have someone who really truly has a disorder of some sort or something that makes them different than the average person in the population. Yeah, I don't know, there is this weird like I want that.

Speaker 4 13:47

But now, with this said but let's look at it this way I don't see too many people going around going oh, I'm a Saban.

Speaker 2 13:53

No.

Speaker 4 13:54

Because again we realize that Saban is someone who is extremely rare because these people can't function with the world.

Speaker 2 14:06

But keep in mind we've also seen two generations. Now, that's, it's the participation trophy joke right.

Speaker 4 14:17

Right, everybody gets the gold star.

Speaker 2 14:19

Everybody is Everybody special Right. Every child is good job, buddy, that was, you know, even when it was crap. The level of overachieving encouragement and the hubris that we are giving our children is a bit much. You know when people go, oh my god, you know that kid is such a spoiled brat. Well, yeah, because they've been told they're amazing at everything their whole life. So it kind of makes you go. Why wouldn't they grow up to be slightly egomaniacal adults who think that they are perfect, special right? Not perfect, but special different?

Speaker 4 15:00

than everyone else See.

Speaker 2 15:02

I've been in management for a number of years.

Speaker 4 15:05

And I'm sorry. Well, I started to see these people coming in, these younger people coming in to do interviews and they'll be sitting there going. Well, I can do your job. I'm sorry, you just graduated from high school.

Speaker 2 15:18

I got 20 years of experience. Yep, well, and that's what I mean. That's a hell of an ego.

Speaker 4 15:25

That's a lot of ego walking through the door.

Speaker 2 15:27

I mean in a weird way. Yeah, I know, many times growing up, you know, I thought my parents were mean, but you know when they were, like that's not for you, yeah, like you shouldn't do, yeah, I mean what they were telling me was, honestly, don't waste your time there, find another skill, find a talent that's more suited to you. Now we see that as, oh, we're squashing people's dreams or we're killing their ambitions. Not really, not everybody can be good at everything. It's just it's not realistic. I mean, and I think that's funny because for younger people in the pagan community that can be a challenge Because they often, especially in a traditionalist environment, they get knocked down a couple pegs real fast, oh God, yeah, and that, depending on the person right, it can either be devastating or it can make them very, very angry.

Speaker 4 16:25

Mm-hmm, yeah, and other people can just make them really, really determined to get it right next to them.

Speaker 2 16:31

That's yeah, that's always a possibility. It's somebody who's motivated by that, but more often it's where we see again these really big clashes of ideals and where the younger and I'm only talking about people maybe ten years younger than us but they look at some of the methods or the things that traditionalists do and they just think, oh, that's too rigid, oh, it's mean, oh, is it? Or are we just trying to be realistic? Are we trying to create a community that is more sound, by acknowledging people's strengths where they have it and encouraging those, but also being honest enough to say maybe that's not for you.

Speaker 4 17:15

It happened. There's a lot of things I've tried and I'm just, it just did not work that well, you know Right, maybe making bread is not one of them.

Evolution and Diversity

Speaker 2 17:23

I'm just saying yeah, I mean, there's lots of that kind of stuff, but I think you know that's yeah it's mm-hmm. Well, it's the ability to self-regulate your abilities and acknowledge what you can and cannot do. And I mean again, can't is such a shitty word because nobody likes can't, but again, it's not all or nothing.

Speaker 4 17:53

I mean, there's a difference between can and well. You just don't do it well.

Speaker 2 17:57

Exactly, Exactly. You know there are plenty of things I can do, but I'm not going to do them well, you know I can.

Speaker 4 18:06

there's a lot of maintenance and stuff that I can do around my house. I'm not going to do it as well as a professional. Well, that's what I mean. So I can at least pot you up long enough to get a professional Right.

Speaker 2 18:16

Right, but our, but our. Because of that, our attitude tends to be well, if this person is more skilled, let them be. Let that person shine in that area and I will gladly take a step back.

Speaker 4 18:31

Well, this, but no, now for us this is a whole lot easier, because Lord me and reeled into our heads Repeatedly yeah. Know your field of expertise.

Speaker 2 18:41

Yeah, yeah, and and general was not an answer. No, I have a general expertise in crap. No, no. Get specific.

Speaker 4 18:52

What do you do? What is it that you do?

Speaker 2 18:54

Justify your life, Still one of my favorite lines. Very, very undervalued cartoon, it was very short lived, but but yeah, neighbors from hell, that was the big. You know, that was the big catchphrase justify your lives and it's. It always does make me giggle and make me think of Lord men a little bit, because he was never that mean, of course, but but that was the idea. What is your value? What do you bring to the table?

Speaker 4 19:28

What do you have? What's your set? Yeah, everybody has the same skills.

Speaker 2 19:32

No, but at the same time, how can we cultivate that skill set while also yet tempering what you may or may not achieve? Yeah, I don't know it's. It really is a fascinating discussion. And then, of course, there's plenty of people who I'm sure are out there going. You know my child has been diagnosed with x, y or z at a very young age, and again you go. Why is there so much of this?

Speaker 4 19:59

going on.

Speaker 2 20:02

I'd like to think. I would genuinely like to think in some ways, our, our brains are evolving well.

Speaker 4 20:10

I'd like to say. I'd like to say that, but there's still a part of me that still think there is a social contagion part to this. You know what I'm saying, so I don't. It's one of them. 5050s nicks from a yeah. Because I believe there are some people out there that are just doing it because it's a social agent, right, I mean, and it could just be a case of misdiagnosis.

Speaker 2 20:34

It could just be yeah, I'm misplaced belief, I don't know.

Speaker 4 20:42

I'm not sure either. I mean, again, like I said earlier, autism is on its way up and I'm back, like you. What evolutionary Benefits could all of you manage to get from these people?

Speaker 2 20:54

I Mean we have no idea we don't yet, but we're, but we're on the way to starting to see that.

Speaker 4 21:01

No, I mean for us to sit here and to assume that Ever I've noticed that we do. We sit here and assume evolution just stopped.

Speaker 2 21:09

Which is a ridiculous notion.

Speaker 4 21:11

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we sit here. I've loose is done.

Speaker 2 21:15

Just to go to space make absolutely not.

Speaker 4 21:18

I don't see that.

Speaker 2 21:21

No, if that was the case, we'd be dying out. The species would be ending.

Speaker 4 21:26

I still believe that there is going to be a person they're gonna be born in the United States that are gonna have the best genes of all the races Whoo and that that person's gonna kick my ass.

Speaker 2 21:36

I don't know if they'll be born in the US or not, but I mean I do think yeah, we're moving in a direction where I Mean look, I don't know about you, but I challenge just about anybody who says otherwise. Most interracial children are beautiful. Oh, they write, like the most gorgeous humans on the planet and it kind of Lends that Right. This is why our genes are meant to be spread out and over. Yes because the ones.

Speaker 4 22:11

I've known and heard of actually I've never their parents, listening to their parents. Mm-hmm the kids are very, very literally not sick at all.

Speaker 2 22:21

Hmm, interesting don't I mean again they'll get the cold will get their blues and stuff like that, but no major Problems yeah, it's fascinating because again you're, you're introducing new Come to that gene pool and that is that only Stands to benefit. Yeah, that's DNA is friend. I mean, we see the opposite with dogs. Right, we're overbreeding, the inbreeding, all the genetic problems that they have will do. What the hell Do you think would happen to us if we kept, you know, screwing around?

Speaker 4 22:55

with our cousins and that, what is that? The royal disease? No, the free bleeding. What that? How, I have a hemophilia. Yeah, that seems to be a thing.

Speaker 2 23:10

There's a lot of things that are linked in breeding. But I mean, you know, yeah, if we hadn't evolved past and understood, my god, you can't do that. You know, this idea of right up here Race is absolutely bullshit. It makes no sense. No, not at all. We're designed to seek out, in Some ways, what is different to strengthen a bloodline. It's really wild.

Speaker 4 23:40

I'm sorry, I was waiting for you to say you know we are, we're meant to go seek out and shag everything.

Coffee Talk With Peg and Seminary

Speaker 2 23:47

I mean kind of, kind of that's the other problem, kind of I mean, yeah, but it's, it is it's, it's, it's fascinating. I think it's something that people should spend a little more time considering. I don't know that we have answers to it, but I. Also like coffee.

Speaker 1 24:13

Thanks for listening. Join us next week for another episode. Peg and coffee talk is brought to you by life temple and seminary. Please visit us at life temple seminary org for more information, as well as links to our social media Facebook, discord, twitter, youtube and reddit.

Speaker 3 24:31

We travel down this trodden path, the maze of stone and mire. Just hold my hand as we pass by a sea of blazing fires.

Speaker 1 24:45

And so it is the end of our day.

Speaker 3 24:48

So walk with me till morning breaks. And so it is the end of our day. So walk with me till morning.