Mankind’s Future?

How newly-discovered “adepts” may change the world

By Nicholas Hagan, Berkeley Center freshman

Any history textbook will tell you about the engineering marvels of Ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece. You probably know of the highly advanced philosophical and mathematical achievements of the Greeks and the Chinese, among others. You may even know of the rich cultural traditions of the Northern Europeans. Looking back to these ancient years, today seems pretty dull: People now spend most of their time watching TV or surfing the internet, employees work dead-end jobs just to get by, and the ultimate goal of your average worker seems to merely be having enough money at the age of retirement to spend all day fishing. What is mankind achieving now? What good does one contribute to the human race by flipping burgers at a MacDonald’s, in hopes of earning enough money for a high-definition TV?

But read on, for there may be a new type of person, capable of changing this lackluster world. I have discovered, through subtle observation of my peers over the course of many years, that a few of us think and act drastically different from normal people. I feel I am lucky enough to be one of these people, as are many of my friends.

Adept at a glance
So who are these people? They are the adepts. They are the continuation of the exceptional men and women who have changed the course of history. They value, above all else, knowledge. Knowledge of the self, of their values, their friends, their enemies, their world, their home. I have entered, in a previous writing project, my personal definition of an adept.

“One who is concerned with the well-being of the world, the betterment of the community, the importance of friends and family, of the individual, of science and of the future. The adept strives for success, and it will be achieved! Not lost is the adept in the shackles of religion, nor from the bodily corruptions of substances, nor does the adept zealously seek acceptance from his or her peers. The adept seeks to create, to improve upon what exists, to breathe life into a dying world.”

Increased interest in life, in all its facets, and all the life forms, machines, natural entities and people that make up the world.
A creative and resourceful way of thinking, capable of imagining or creating almost anything desired.
Strong ideals for the future, for the self, and for ways to apply one’s creative thoughts to real life.
An introverted, some might say shy disposition, in contrast to the more boisterous normal people.
A logical, scientific and rational way of reasoning, as opposed to blind faith.
Appreciation for books and reading, and for learning and knowledge.
Interest in spirituality and the occult, rather than conventional religion, or possibly no spirituality at all.

It is my belief that almost all ancient peoples were adepts. Several events throughout history have led to the demise of the original adepts, one of which was the coming of organized religion. However, adeptness did enjoy a comeback during the Renaissance.

And yet, adepts are not without shortcomings. They are not supermen, and they are definitely not a “master race” by any means. An adept may find it quite difficult to function under some circumstances. Adepts are more intuitive, more sensitive, and more passionate than normal people. For this reason they can be stubborn when things do not pan out, and unfortunately are often met with insensitivity at the hands of normal people.

Who is not an adept
The regular is the antithesis of the adept. Regulars make up the majority of our population here in North America and a few other countries (regulars do not seem to be as prevalent in Europe and in developing countries, from what I’ve witnessed.) Regulars are not any normal person, but rather they are people who do not understand adepts, and do not intend to. They often view adepts as spoiled, self-centered and overly sensitive weaklings, using these perceived negative qualities as grounds for discrimination against adepts.

Regulars enjoy the more superficial things in life. Some enjoy loud music, sports, drinking and/or smoking. Others enjoy large, chaotic group activities. Others are devoutly and blindly religious. Still others lurk online in hopes of ensnaring victims, then tearing them down with vicious postings on forums. There are many types of regulars, however their lives are empty and meaningless in my eyes.

There are, however, normal people who are allies with the adepts. They possess normal-level social skills, but are fascinated and involved with the same things adepts are involved with, and seek to help and befriend the adepts. These people are called “overseers.”

Autism and adeptness
I give you, the reader, this paper because it is my belief that autism and adeptness are interconnected. I have noticed that the majority of adepts have been diagnosed with autism or Aspergers Syndrome. This is not an absolute rule, however, as I have seen a few adepts who are neurotypical. I have also met a few regulars who are autistic.

There has been an epidemic of autism in the past few years. More and more children are being diagnosed, and many more are still to come. I believe this is happening for a reason. Young, high-functioning autistic people like myself serve to best display traits of adeptness, in my opinion. The future is uncertain, but it is my hopes that the world is ready for adepts!