A few nights ago, I watched a documentary on teen sensation, Justin Bieber. His mother and grandparents were interviewed. The grandfather remarked how Justin would never sit still and he always had to be doing something. They put him in soccer and numerous other sports. Justin worked very hard to learn how to be a musician and to play the the drums, guitar, piano, and trumpet on his own. He would perform on the street and would never come home with less than $150-$200 after an hour or two, according to the grandfather. Now, at the ripe old age of 16, he is a teen superstar. Justin Bieber go!
What if a teacher with a low tolerance for activity had come upon this child? Would they have recommended he be put on Ritalin? Calm him down. Make him conform to the class.
An interesting article from the British Medical Journal (2003) tells of 5 million or so kids in the USA on Ritalin or Adderall for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD). An editorial on this can be found with other interesting information at the site What Doctors Don’t Tell You.
How much creativity has been destroyed by these drugs in the last 30 years? Which Einsteins, which Rembrandts and which Mozarts have been destroyed due to the irresponsible use of drugs such as Ritalin or Adderall?
Fortunately Justin Bieber’s parents were more interested in him as a person and cared more about him than killing his spirit.