Embedded in the anxiety of others

At the very core of our existence is the ability to avoid danger and engage in pleasurable activity.

Living in communities at a local level, a national level, and an international level exposes us to the responses of others to events that may or may not be relevant to us as individuals.

Our exposure to this phenomenon is filtered by well-meaning, not so well-meaning, and profit-seeking news and social media. Sadly, there is a dichotomy here, yin and yang, good and not so good.

We all vary in our fight-or-flight response due to our unique genetic make-up and the early life experiences epigenetically moderating those gene expressions. Our glucocorticoid receptors (a protein found in multiple forms within cells) potentiate throughout our bodies; this allows us to pump vast amounts of adrenaline and cortisol into our fleeing selves.

This fight-or-flight response can be stimulated by events that register as a threat, but do not, in fact, relate directly to our current environment and safety.

We rely on our democratic process to assess and moderate the less favourable aspects and to provide solutions.

We depend on the scientific method, which, when rigorously applied, gives sensible guidance for a way forward for our democratic/popular resolutions.

Lack of understanding of the scientific methodology and the influence of persuasive others can trigger anxiety and hopelessness. This predicament can lead to ideology capture.

Historical evidence shows when an unopposed ideology is allowed to run riot, the outcome for the majority of individuals is dire.

Anxiety, in its overwhelming form, leads to catastrophisation, which for many, leads nowhere but chaos, which is the desired outcome for power-hungry narcissists.