The other social safety net

Once upon a time the first person was identified as different. Maybe it was autism, maybe it was some other behavior that was unaccepted, maybe it was rooted in a neurological idiosyncrasy yet to be understood.

For centuries as humans struggled to survive, many people were left behind or otherwise shunned. For the most part, our society today tries to include everyone in the quest for a long and better life. We…