World Conflict and Anxiety
Taliban escaping from a Kandahar Prison, discussion of boycotting the Olympics in Beijing, the cyclone in Burma and the controversy and conflict involved in nations offering assistance, Canadian political conflict (read Maxime Bernier), the US elections…the list can go on and on.
Does world conflict create more anxiety for us in the present than it has in the past? I think that for many of us, it does. A sense of not being able to control any of it can lead to increased anxiety…or a tendency to ignore larger issues. We’re exposed to - and can seek out - more information about world conflicts and tragedies. Gone are the days of families gathered around the big radio waiting for news of thier loved ones fighting wars. In our present world, the news is available at a click of a mouse button. Anxiety can lead to avoidance, avoidance can lead to increased conflict. On the other end of the scale, extreme anxiety can come to feel like compulsion. Anxiety is best faced by making a plan - figuring out what I can do as an individual. This is true for both small and large anxieties, global and personal.
Face it, make a plan, follow your plan…and let the anxiety go.
July 7th, 2008 at 3:35 am
So true!
Not many know that in countries like Israel car accidents lead to far more deaths than any other reason. This is despite the fact that Israelis are very skilled drivers– it’s all about stress and anxiety…
We suppress fears and avoid dealing with it, though to be fair some stress levels won’t go away and the intensity of it leaves you in an “avoid it to survive or stay alert and cave under” situation…
Thanks for a wonderful discussion.
Reut