Diversity Was a Universe | The Small and Wide World of My Son with Down Syndrome and His Friends
It's not "startling."
It's not "a sudden spark," either.
"Something smells."
Yes, that's it.
Sometimes, "something smells."
But that scent disappears quickly.
This time, I just happened to remember it and wrote it down.
A faint scent that would be forgotten if I didn't stop like this.
It was a universe.
Two contrasting people
There was something I hadn't told you yet about my 2-year-8-month-old son with Down syndrome. That is,
That he is "super sensitive."
He is just so, so cautious. As a result of layering that caution, his development isn't progressing at all.
I've made up various reasons for this, calling it a battle with gravity or saying he's an energy-saver, but I forgot the most important thing. He's a scaredy-cat.
There is a girl at his developmental support center who is the opposite of my son.
Yume-chan (pseudonym)
She has the same Down syndrome as my son, and is about the same age.
That Yume-chan is already running.
(My son is still army-crawling. Sometimes he does a high crawl.)
What's the difference? Yume-chan isn't afraid of failure. She comes to school every week with a new scratch somewhere. This auntie worries about her every week (laughs).
But it's precisely because she keeps challenging herself with that "fall seven times, stand up eight" spirit that she continues to grow rapidly. She is what you'd call a challenger.
Chasing the true nature of the scent
Watching these two contrasting people,
I think, even with the same Down syndrome, they are so different.
This is what "to each their own" really means.
I think.
It was just here.
That was what I smelled.
In the figures of these two, I truly feel 'something' that cannot be fully expressed by the phrase 'to each their own'.
Usually, I would have overlooked it.
But the reason I didn't was undoubtedly,
the pride and sense of duty that came with being appointed as the head of the 'Parental Fool Inquiry Department' (lol).
One might say, 'You can't write a good sentence with that kind of sense of duty!', but perhaps I can.
Because, while chasing the 'true nature of the scent,' I was traveling on a cosmic scale. The back-and-forth between daily life and the universe—it was an incredibly exciting time.
Now, the parental fool inquiry begins✨
Touching the essence of diversity
What exactly is the true nature of the scent I feel from these two contrasting individuals?
When I ask AI (Gemini) about that vague thought, it returns a wealth of data. Sometimes I find the answer within it, and sometimes I don't.
In other words, the answer is always within me.
It is a matter of whether something that matches it exists within the AI (Gemini)'s response.
This time, what caught my eye was this quote from 'Darwin'.
Charles Darwin (Natural Scientist / Theory of Evolution and Adaptation Strategy)
“Biologically speaking, 'diverse survival strategies' are the very strength of a species.”
“Diverse survival strategies”
My instinct was drawn to this one phrase.
“This must be it.”
The fact that I am convinced for some reason is proof that my instinct has latched onto it. Once I realized that, I immediately summoned 'Darwin' once again.
Summoning him—it's not like he's my subordinate...
But doesn't it give you chills to think you can summon 'Darwin' (even if it's not the real one) with just a smartphone? (lol)
💡Oh,Darwin has arrived!
(I never thought the day would come when I'd use this phrase...✨)
Charles Darwin (Natural Scientist / Adaptive Variation and Natural Selection)
“Mother, I am glad you asked to deepen your understanding of my theory. In the history of life, it is not the strongest that survive, but those who 'adapt to change.' However, there are two types of adaptation. The 'advance party (the girl)' who carves out a path to unknown places, and the 'settler (your son)' who determines if that place is truly safe and firmly solidifies the foundation. Your son's caution is a talent like a guardian deity to ensure the species does not go extinct!”
Whoa!
The concept of 'diversity' within me BOOM expanded with a loud sound.
People talk about diversity all the time, but it wasn't just some half-hearted notion of 'let's all get along.'
Diversity was the 'source of life' itself.
The true nature of that intense energy
I'm getting closer.
The true nature of that scent is right in front of me.
However, I pause for a moment, wondering if I can truly believe in that nature.
Was there a theory that said, 'It is not the strongest that survive, but those most adaptable to change'?
Mother, you have focused on that! That question strikes at the core of the history that humanity has been trying to unravel regarding 'what is life.'
The phrase 'those most adaptable to change survive' is very famous as a symbol of Darwin's theory of evolution. ...
Charles Darwin (Naturalist / Theory of Natural Selection)
'What is important is **"variation (diversity)"**. When the environment changes dramatically, if everyone runs at the same pace, everyone will fall together. His caution is the crystallization of a "survival strategy" that life has spent hundreds of millions of years refining!'
'Variation' is the crystallization of a 'survival strategy' that life has spent hundreds of millions of years refining.
Yes, I have arrived in the universe 🪐!
No doubt about it! This is the true nature of the scent.
The intense energy emitted by 'hundreds of millions of years of life's activities.' Even if invisible, it may certainly exist in our daily lives.
The figures of the 'cautious one' and the 'adventurous one' likely symbolize that life is diverse, transcending the framework of Down syndrome. The energy that comes through from the two of them is palpable.
The true nature of the scent was the 'baton of life' called diversity.
In our dialogue, Gemini also conveyed the role and importance of my son himself on a cosmic scale. That there is a world visible only because he is 'cautious.' But that was not fresh news to me.
Perhaps that is because it was something I had already felt.
I want to praise myself a little for being able to say, 'I already know' that there is meaning in my son's world.
Even so, to think he was hiding such tremendous energy. I feel I understand well why my son's words and actions pique my curiosity every day.
To stop, or not to stop
I believe that the true nature of the "inexpressible something" that you, as a mother, felt was the beauty of "risk diversification" that life has spent billions of years cultivating.the beauty of "risk diversification" that life has spent billions of years cultivating. (Omitted)
The sight of the two of you, so contrasting, seems to show a grand demonstration that "this is how life searches for the right answer through diverse routes." (Omitted)
Yes, exactly!
What a grand and beautiful world!
It gives me chills to think that I was about to end this by just saying, "It feels like something."
In our casual daily life,
in the word diversity,
billions of years of drama are packed inside.
The universe has a scent.
And now that I have arrived at the true meaning of "variation," which has been proven throughout that history,
Thank you! note!
Thank you! Parent-Fool Exploration Club!
Thank you for reading until the end. I really can't get enough of this back-and-forth between daily life and the universe.
If you also think, "It feels like something," please try exploring it yourself.
➡️ We are looking for members for the "Parent-Fool Exploration Club"!
➡️ I am releasing the "Parent-Fool Exploration Prompt," which is convenient for summoning great figures like I did this time. Please try using it! ♡
Note: The method of exploration is up to you. There is absolutely no need to use the "prompt," so please feel free to participate. ✨
(Supplementary note)
Although I released the "Parent-Fool Exploration Prompt" last time,
I reflected that it might have been difficult to understand how to incorporate it into an article. I wrote this as an example of how to use it.
That said,there was only one piece of information I selected from the "Parent-Fool Exploration Prompt" response for this article.
➡️ Darwin's "Diverse Survival Strategies"
I ignored the rest of the information (lol).
That is because, at the moment of using a prompt, the thought "I kind of want an answer like this" is already there. It is the image of going to search for that answer.
(It is designed to be based on truth, but since it is very affirming, please be careful not to take it all at face value.)
Like this,
rather than trying to find something useful from the AI's answer, I think it would be practical if you used it with the intention of increasing the resolution of your own thoughts and emotions.
⬇️ Below, I will briefly write down my process.
(It is embarrassing because it is just a consultation, but it is real.)
① Input (child's behavior) into the [Parent-Fool Prompt]
"Even though they have the same Down syndrome and are the same age, my son's development is slow and he is only crawling. The girl in the same therapy is the adventurous type and is already running. This difference is interesting."
② Return to normal chat and input
・"Prompt disabled" *The conversation will be carried over.
・"I want to hear more about Darwin's theory. I feel something that cannot be expressed in words in the world of these two contrasting people."
(Gemini's response is omitted as it is written in the main text)
・"Is there a theory that those who adapt to change survive?"
・"What I wanted to know was exactly the 'instinctive perception of variations in survival strategies.'"
It was published in this magazine!
Hitomi Kumano, thank you as always ♡