Ancient Survival?

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Hmm... Im big on the outdoors and all, and a rather insane question arised in my head. If autism existed in the ancient world, could they have survived, perhapse thrived thousands of years ago?

Their are many variables indeed, its possible autism could be the result of nature, or that part of nature effected by humans (pollution, electromagnietc waves, whatever). But, lets just assume that perhapse HFA or even MFA or whathave you (those that can perhapse function to a degree) were around during anchient times. And their numbers were purportinal to todays autism population compaired to the NT pop of today or in the past. Could it be possible that even during the lawless savegry of way back then that they could have at least survived? Let alone function in society? Perhapse even pass their genes on (its not nessissary for any autism individuals to have existed thousands of years ago to have those genes responsible passed on).

I wonder how we could have done. I mean, as adults I bet we all seem good, but as kids.... hmmm.... could we avoid being selected for death, or being non-productive eaters?? Millitary service, govern even?? Obviosly their is not much info going past, well... the 70's????? But Einstine showed aspie or HFA traits, so maby we could assume they have been around since at least prior to WW2. Maby before then? Or is it a recent phenomina, and that nature and nurture have only in recent history selected individuals with autism to exist, maby only because society has been 'generous' enough to not eliminate it, or in the least identify it???

Hmm... I hope this is making sence to others other then myself? I just love outdoor wilderness survival, am good at it, but had a though... I wondered simply how I (or we) could have done way back when, had we existed?

Anybody have in concrete data??? I doubt it, but if you do, it be interested to read it.

Thoughts, opinions?

I taught it for seven years through the Center Activities dept at the local university as well as to local school and Americorps teams.
I miss it

I can't quote any sources, but from my personal study of primitive societies and living skills I think it might be possible that almost all forms of human variation could have survived.

Perhaps some would not have survived as long as other members of the 'tribe'.
Adder's, for example, could have been very good hunters... constant observation of the surrounding area, able to shift attention onto something new i.e. movement by prey.

I think it all depends on when in human evolution you are referring.
Hunter-Gatherer societies, Agrarian societies?

Gotta go....

I don't know how valid this line of thought is but:

Pre writing societies had a need for people with long liner memores for events most tribes would have at least one holy man/sharman who would learn by rote the history of the tribe. Recall would be aided by ritual.

Actually, if I am stressed out about something too much, I get apathetic, and the stress vanishes. It just normally takes a while to get there, and I don't live up to my standards at all.

If I know I will have no other choices I can change.

My memory is episodic, and given to survival.

SO, even though I LOVE the sanitary conditions and possibly more reliable food in society, I COULD live in the wild. I have stayed out in the open, hiked, fished, and even made a mash like the indians from acorns, when I was 6 or 7! Everyone told me DON'T EAT IT! YOU'LL GET SICK! I thought they were nuts, and I knew what I was doing. GUESS WHAT! I didn't even get a headache, felt fine, and it tasted nice!

I was even within 50 yards of three big bears!(each at a different time).

So I could see me living in the wild, even though I would hate it at first

You didn't mash them up and eat them did you?

I went through a phase with my brother when we were teens and held romantic notions of life as a mountain man.
We talked often about being, "born at the wrong time", espousing the desire to live the life of these men.

The reality is actually much more harsh than how the dream is played out in books, movies, or at 'MountainMan Gatherings'.

Consider that primitive peoples had/have fewer issues to deal with than we do, but those issues are much more intimate to their survival and difficult to resolve than in our modern societies and times.

From gathering food, to establishing working communities, to protecting human and food from predators as well as natural weather conditions... well, there are many more things to discuss here, but I'll just say that living in the wild and staying alive is not all that easy. It is certainly possible; if you have the ability to hunt indiscriminately, freely travel where you wish/need, a mix of associates with varying skills to complement your own.

If it was just THAT simple, it wouldn't be worth mentioning. NOPE! You have to run water through it to get all the acid out, and mashing them makes that work better. Luckily, it is obvious when you have gotten it out. You can't just simply eat them. As I recall it can cause stomach problems, headaches, etc... Oddly, I did it as part of a paper I wrote in like the first or second grade. When I said "I thought they were nuts", I misspoke. I meant they TASTED like nuts! I OBVIOUSLY didn't confuse them with walnuts, peanuts, cashews, etc...

And YEAH, I know how bad it can be. Frankly, ***I*** would be aware of bears, lions, etc... I felt sorry for that poor lion that was hunted because that idiot got hurt when she went jogging in the lions territory. As for skills, I have a lot of skills to surviving in the wild, and more of a tolerance to some things, like the cold.

I read an article somewhere suggesting that Aspergers was inherited traits from the Neanderthals in Europe. They lived in very small groups and were isolated from each other and liked it that way. These traits could have been passed to the Homo-sapiens by interbreeding (rape, slaves, etc). It explains why there is a higher incidence in caucasians than in other races. If this is true, then people can survive in a AS society. However, the NT society will eventually wipe them out.

I wonder though. Many of the great acomplishments may have been created by Aspies. Would the NT society be where it is without the Aspies?

I think our society needs both to survive.

You know, I see a LOT of truth in "The planet of the apes"! If you think it is a SCIFA flick that is just a fantasy, you're not looking hard enough. I see a fictionalized tale based on current events! It is ALL covered. It speaks of how those that once designed the technology forget how to use it and are enslaved by others that take credit for the work and don't even really understand it. Look around! The SAME thing happens HERE! If I hear ANOTHER flunky tell me how COMPUTERS require such and such or can't do whatever, I think I'll scream!

But what do I know? I just fully understand every aspect from the crystals used to control the clocks, to why they are needed, to how the information is stored in various memories, and how the CPUs/FPUs/etc... work and have written accounting systems and card debiting software, etc.... OH NO, I guess I should listen to some flunky that may not have even been able to even legitimately graduate the 10th grade.

hm. good question my guess would be we probably would have been killed / sacrificed. i knew a navajo girl who had mr and some other things and her tribe threw her in a bonfire to try to get the "devils" out of her.

Mounts high horse----tadatadatada--Charge!! !! !! !
Personally Id say we always existed and possibly thrived.
We were the guys inventing fire and the wheel, the ones observant and intelligent enough to see the patterns behind which berries killed you and which berries were safe to eat .
We were probably designing solar calanders and charting the impact of seasons upon crops and fashioning tools. WE are engineers artists and mathematicians
We were probably the medicine men and the artists that drew spaceships on cave walls and built pyramids

Autism is old, old old.

And they will never get rid of it, because the curbies cannot accept and admit that all humanity carries the traits. If two of the right people reproduce, you get an autist.

You are AWESOME! You put a huge smile on my face! Thank you so much!! !! !

hmmm... interesting posts guys! I have my doubts tho, simply because many ancient societies were very brutal, savage. I just wonder if autism was around back then, would these individuals be targeted for death in childhood, when they showed the most severe signes, and so if thats the case, because they were not 'military cabible' or thought to be, that they never made it long enough to be able to use their talents in adulthood.

This guestion will forever bother me, I know we will never have an answer to it. I dont think an autistic person was required to teach which berries to eat, or how to make fire, or invent the wheel, but the solar or later the lunar calander, VERY POSSIBLE. We will never know.

I never expected someone would post knowing for a fact anything, but I wanted to see how others may have felt. I still tend to beleive autism is at least recessive geneticly, and can become , thru environmental factors (maby the result of human impact) be brought out. Of course my guess is as good as yours.

Whenever I watch those survivor reality shows I am always transfixed by the stupidity of the contestants- they build camp near the shoreline at low tide , they make no emergency provisions, I have yet to see anyone set up a sundial etc
Aspies are ultra observant and we can spot patterns easily and this is often combined with excelleent memory and recall skills - I think these are great survival skills irrespective of the era you are born into
Keep in mind that ancient man was no great communicator in the modern sense, he was a grunter and a clubber-lol. There was a lack of fashion and social custom blending in this sense would have been easier. Physical strength and health would have been more important than social skill
Also keep in mind the differences between AS men and women, the social problems of AS boys would not have affected the AS girl population in the same way, AS young females would have flown under the radar ensuring the passage of AS genes to offspring as it only takes one male to impreganate a woman, the survival of the female would be a greater indicator
No doubt the facial hair and grime would have obscured the ability to read faces etc , we were probably better equipped than we are today

From what I've learned so far. Aspies can be as savage as NTs. They get the same adrenaline surge. They still fear. In fact the hypersensitivity would be very useful for survival. Smells, detecting low sounds and preferring low light conditions would be ideal for detecting predators. Sensitive skin may have encouraged humans to avoid mosquitoes and parasites. These may even have been coveted abilities.

The more annoying traits may not have been tolerated. Disciplining them out would have been the norm not the exception.

Granted, low functioning autism or MR probably was not survivable. Clumsiness and the inability to learn survival skills would be deadly. If recognized early in life, these children probably were abandoned.

In recent history, autism traits were probably view as being possessed by demons and sacrificed or tortured to death.