One of the reasons I find this site so fascinating is that, inevitably, I can come here to find someone who experienced the EXACT opposite reaction to something that I did. I know, of course, that is very common, but in my "real" life I don't often get the opportunity to understand thoroughly how others see the world through a different lens.
I read the Royce White article and my reaction was, "who doesn't realize that life (all life, including human) is about stress and anxiety?"
I mean, I think of it as the basic condition of existence. Being alive is about staying alive - on its most basic level its about avoiding death for as long as possible. Take a look at any animal on this planet and see how much time they spend enjoying life... As a species, we have "advanced" to a point where we actually do have a quite literally unimaginable freedom from the constant anxiety of any other species, with the possible exception of our pets.
I'm not completely sure how to phrase this, but it seems that the type of anxiety disorder that White (and by extension Drocca) is talking about is partly the result of an unreasonable view of the world - that somehow, if not for these various societal "factors", humans would be living healthy, full, enriching and stress free lives, as if that was the natural stasis.
I am likely demonstrating my profound ignorance on mental illness with my thinking here, and I am definitely not trying to cause offense and welcome anyone pointing out where I am misguided, wrong, idiotic, etc.. But to me the anxiety feels like a symptom of a manic and wildly inacurrate view of the human condition.
Anyway, I am interested in the discussion even if this is a clumsy and rushed initial thought on my part.
