The blessing of anxiety

To be anxious is to be human.

Kierkegaard wrote, “If man were an animal or an angel, anxiety would not be a problem.”

Animals live by instinct; angels are pure spirit. But human beings are a union of flesh and spirit, and we possess consciousness. This consciousness, this awareness of our mortality and vulnerability triggers anxiety. We can neither surrender fully to either our physical or spiritual natures nor completely transcend them. Trapped between these extremes, we are destined to inner tension. And that tension is the root of anxiety.

But the experience and emotion of anxiety is neither good nor bad, it is a God given messenger that can, and frequently does save our lives. Whether it be the jump and flight response away from a viper at my ankle, a fight response to someone trying to hurt me or my children, or me cherishing every single moment of my life because I am anxious about my mortality, anxiety is a blessing. It gets me moving.

We 'moderns' tend to turn anxiety into a disease to be numbed with drugs, alcohol or medications. We just want it to go away, and go away now! We think that the good life is tranquil and free of care, but in all reality, that wouldn't be paradise; It would be dreadfully boring and milquetoast.  Nothing would get accomplished, and we would rot in our complacency.

Anxiety is not a curse or disease, but a blessing and the epitome of health. Kierkegaard said that "anxiety is a sacred challenge, not a sickness."  I agree with that.

Thank God for anxiety! So bring it on!