How about you? What is “scattered brain” syndrome?
Posted by: adonis49 on: June 9, 2010
I woke up at 3:30 am and turned on the cable. The timing was great: I resumed the movie “The fisher-king” where I left it off a week ago; this time around I got hooked, finished the film and loved it. The main melody was: “I love New York in June. I love Gershwin tune. How about you?” Then, out of nowhere, I got into thinking.
After all these years, I am still wondering “Why am I living? What for?” That my parents fell in love, got married, out in the nowhere in Africa, that I am given birth, that I managed to survive at birth (I had no chance to live and mother insisted on feeding me against all odds), after several close calls from deadly diseases…
All these coincidences that got me where I am: Still alive, living, and kicking. Why had I to be among the living? What is my purpose in life? I have no skills to survive and yet, here I am. I really have no passion for anything specific; whatever dreams, or desires that I might have had I forgot.
I recall an event at age 15. I was walking home at noon from school for lunch break. I closed my eyes and listened to traffic. I decided that I will cross the busy street without looking for incoming cars. Midway, a car stopped abruptly and honked indefinitely. The driver was pale of fright and cursing me. I looked at the driver with pity, and realized my foolish decision (I was to be dead or permanently handicapped). Calmly, I continue waking home, told nobody, ate lunch, and just about forgot the entire event and the crazy decision.
So, is there anything wrong with me if I am enjoying the moment? I do enjoy my daily activities that are not within the scope of forced “earning money” busy body kind of work.
For example, I work my garden but have no expertise in anything related to dirt, moving dirt, or botany. I wait for vegetable to grow to discriminate among the varieties that I sawed. I once told a friend that I work my small garden (it is not that small for a single gardener). He said: “Like what? Moving dirt from one place to another?” I realized this week that indeed I was transferring dirt from one patch to another: Just like that, on a hunch.
All my important decisions were on impulses. I travelled twice overseas for extended durations (supposedly to continue my graduate education), and had no rational or logical reasons to account for my decisions. I didn’t plan my bold trip, reserve, apply for any or the society and culture of the region. All that I felt was: “Adonis, you are going to face big and challenging troubles. You will not die this time around. It is not yet your time. You will survive against all odds.” I am a stubborn guy but feared if I attempted to plan anything and time dragged in preparation that I might reverse my decision, which was not based on anything tangible or rational. Things like that.
I have no idea if my life would have change without decisions on impulse; most probably not. The only advantage for impulsive decisions is that I acquired personal experiences that I can recall and write about. I cannot figure out any other advantages.
I realized that I might be a sick person: I call my case “scattered brain” syndrome. Most probably, the American Psychiatry Association (ASA) huge catalogue has such a syndrome under a different technical label or category. The ASA must have this “standard” syndrome, otherwise, I will be very disappointed: I usually feel ecstatic as I rediscover the wheel, all by my own mental power.
Is feeling ecstatic re-discovering the wheel a bad thing? Is it good? To which ideology? To which economy? To which belief system? To which world peace movement?
I have this “scattered brain” syndrome: I loved “The fisher king” and its consequences on getting me too far into thinking.
Adonis Diaries 
June 9, 2010 at 2:14 pm
Dear Adonis,
I doubt you are mentally ill, but I do suspect you are a generalist.
A generalist is interested in the general way different ideas define and affect our life. Marshall McLuhan and Alvin Tofler are examples of generalists.
You need to take an aptitude test to identify where people similar to you work…that is what sort of jobs they do…teaching, research, engineering, etc. When you find out where you fit in, do it! You will have a satisfying life.
February 15, 2014 at 4:17 pm
Scatter brain syndrome just a silly word on paper but this condition has held me back all my life. i don’t focus properly , I’m in total fear of losing everything i make umpteen simple mistakes even writing this reply is an ordeal it effects every corner of my existence and when read your your and your mention that instance walking across that street and being in that moment i feel like i’m there with you.
steve dunkley
February 15, 2014 at 5:42 pm
people who refrain from expressing their thoughts on paper end up mentally ill. Writing from personal experience is a good exercise to exorcise your troubled condition. I thought that the term I coined “Scattered brain syndrome” is funny and pretty broad in capturing our trouble in focusing on our daily tasks…