October 21, 2005

  • Yesterday evening I was at a meeting of Gladney parents who have
    adopted older children, and I brought up FAE (Fetal Alcohol Effects),
    as Don and I  -  and Dmitry himself  -  have been
    suspecting this might be the underlying reason for his difficulty
    learning....he must be retaught something over and over again. 
    Anyway, some of the other parents recognized the problems Dmitry's had
    as being similar to those their own children are having/have had, and
    later on it occurred to me....

    Poor Russia!  Alcoholism is rife there, as most everyone
    knows.  Drinking is common, and I'm not at all certain women make
    any real attempt to stop drinking when pregnant, even if they are not
    alcoholic.  Even moderate alcohol intake during pregnancy can
    cause the child to suffer from FAE.  Think
    of how many people over there must be functioning with them!  The
    death rate in Russia is rising at a fierce rate, causing the population
    forecast to be dismal....Russia is losing its citizens to death much
    faster than normal.  The predominant factors are, of course,
    drinking and smoking.  An article on Russia's depopulation that I
    read earlier this week pointed out there doesn't seem to be much of an
    awareness of this cause-and-effect among the people, and that when Mikhail Gorbachev, tried to ban alcohol because of how it's
    ravaging Russia, the populace turned on him.

    This behavior, not recognizing the ill consequences of one's actions,
    or at least not enough to do something about it, is common among those
    with FAE (not that it's restricted solely
    to those with FAE, naturally!  I ought to go on a strict diet and
    walk regularly but don't).  Doesn't it seem reasonable to assume a
    nation filled with heavy-drinking citizens is going to be a nation with
    a disproportionately high number of citizens with FAE?

    Talk about a recipe for disaster.  If a large percentage of Russia's adult citizens are demonstrating these effects of FAE, think of the ramifications for that nation's future:

    Poor logic and reasoning
    Poor concept of time and time management
    Inability to sort information and set priorities
    Isolation
    Alcohol involvement
    Lack of concept of cause and effect
    Unpredictable behavior
    Difficulty with finances
    Depression
    Suicide

    I wish I could think of some reason for optimism, but short of the
    LORD's intervention by His Word and power sweeping through the country,
    I don't see any.