Have you noticed how many commentators are talking about raised levels of anxiety in the 1st world? I even heard Tim Costello mention it the other day in a rerun of his 'One Plus One' interview. I'm actually a bit over it. Not because I don't see it in abundance all around me but because I think it's always been there. We just talk about it all the time.
You could say we are more anxious now because our species is facing the real existential threat of climate change. I feel there is definitely an undercurrent around that. But that doesn't account for the many who are in blissful denial and continue to consume like there is no tomorrow, which there won't be if we continue to do that of course. No, I'm pretty sure they aren't lying awake at night thinking about how badly we have fucked up this planet. They are more likely to be losing sleep over their mortgage or their reliance on insecure employment. And I think this is the point. It's true that as a species we are at a critical time but it's also possible that 'middle class' expectations about lifestyle and owning stuff have never been higher.
Anxiety is just a more palatable word for fear. And fear is an annoying but ever-present aspect of being human.
My Dutch grandparents, with whom I grew up, lived in occupied Holland for the entirety of WW2. My grandfather was a conscientious objector and hid in the attic for the duration. Food coupons allocated to a woman with 2 children were stretched to include a fully grown man. Add to that the fact that my grandmother contributed to the war effort by sabotaging German military equipment after they took over the factory she worked in. If she had been caught she would have been shot on the spot. I can't imagine a more stressful situation than that. My grandmother was a feisty and strong little woman but I don't think she ever fully recovered - even after moving to Australia in 1956. Although she was fully functional she always seemed a bit anxious.
Many, probably most people in the world, still live with that level of anxiety and worse. The threads that bind their lives together are tenuous. They are at the mercy of factors completely out of their control. Those of us lucky enough to be born or emigrate to the 1st world really need to reflect on that - daily. I'm tired of the aspirational middle-class whining. I want to shout: Take a look around you. Lower your expectations, you greedy fuckers.
It's true that I despair at the way my country is devolving. The so-called 'lucky country' is definitely losing its shine. I see the decay, the corruption and the growing inequity. But it's also true that a life in Australia - any life - is still a far better option than a life in many, many other countries.
Digital drawing by Dr Grafix (author)
Great image.
ReplyDeleteIt's such an interesting conundrum. In my mind, anxiety is what happens before the actual threat, an anticipation of threat if you like. In that way, fear and anxiety are two different things.
Yes, I've always thought of anxiety as a feeling of unease and not the same as fear. But if I think about it I reckon it's actually the same emotion - it's just the depth and degree that differs.
DeleteAnd then there's the regular mention of 'anxiety attacks' which if you think about it sounds like a euphemism. I mean if it is severe enough to feel like an attack then it's really just fear isn't it? But fear isn't cool....anxiety seems to be cooler. Lots of people are happy owning up to being 'anxious' - I wonder if they would so happily admit that they were 'afraid'.
So interesting!
ReplyDeleteI've had anxiety attacks and they are completely debilitating, especially when driving a car, heh heh. It's the whole racing heart, fight or flight response for no reason than other than what is going on in my own mind. That strikes me as not a response to a perceivable threat but still something that is existential. Maybe fear isn't as 'cool' to talk about in the same way as anxiety, but I still think they are different beasts.
Mmmmm... well I had to Google and from what I read here https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/science-choice/201812/anxiety-vs-fear I think we are both correct. Looks like anxiety is a response to a perceived threat and fear is a response to an actual one. In the case of my grandmother that would be a anxiety then I guess. However - they both produce the same bodily symptoms. In the end I go by what my old guru used to say: 'there is only love and fear.' I reckon he was right. The rest is semantics.
ReplyDeleteBut your grandmother's threat was a real one. That is real fear. Yes fear and anxiety both produce the same chemicals in the body. They produce the same smell or pheremone. I still have to argue that fear and anxiety are different critters.
DeleteWe can go around and around with this one!
My old guru also said that all fear derived ultimately from the fear of death. I think he was right about that too. I'll concede that on a practical level (as distinct from taking a philosophical view that is) it's probably worthwhile sorting out the difference between a situation of real threat and one that's in your head.
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