Wyner, J. (in press) Anxiety. In Michon, N & Fisher, D (Eds.), One Thousand Arms: Guidebook to Caring for your Buddhist Community. Richmond Hill, Ontario: Sumeru Press.
Excerpt
Anxiety is arguably the most human of our emotions. It comes from our ability to glimpse into the future and transcend the present. And just like pain, while often uncomfortable, it is also necessary. Our anxiety lets us connect our present actions with a variety of potential outcomes, so that we can make informed choices based on our experiences. Sometimes it feels like a small, nagging voice, suggesting that perhaps we should rethink what we’re doing. On other occasions it yells so loudly that we act reflexively, foregoing any rational thought. We immediately adjust course to protect ourselves from a future danger, much like pulling our hand away from a hot stove in order to avoid 3rd degree burns. Imagine a life without these powerful senses, where we left our hands on stoves and marched forward through our days without any sense of future consequences. How quickly would our choices lead us to doom without this powerful, often reflexive sense of the future?