Strife, Anxiety and Change

[The Johnny]

This is some musings ive had for the last month, i wrote this in a sleepless night, but not carelessly, i would appreciate all of your inputs, i think i should be rewriting this in the near future


Anxiety, a feeling invoked by uncertainty of a future event, but uncertainty means lack of determination, and lack of determination means choice. Of course, on a micro level, for there is a lot of situations where we have no influence or choice.

Devereux within the framework of his etnographic open/deep interviews theory, states that the transference and coutertransference that happens in that context, can provoke anxiety on the interviewee and the interviewer -- mostly to the interviewer, perhaps its the source itself of the common use of closed questionaire type interviews --. Anxiety can increase by secondary factors, such as noise pollution in the setting, excessive proximity, lack of comfort in posture/setting, etc. But it can also and does come out from the revealing of information, specially when the emphasis of the interview can shift dynamically to issues that are important and intimate.

Coming back from that tangent, anxiety comes up, when theres an unceirtanty of a future event that is subjectively important. Things that involve self preservation and needs are the ones that cause the most anxiety: physical danger, jobs, school, friendship, love.

Life itself is dynamic, fluctuating and unstable, wheter we like it or not. But it seems its a hard thing to acknowledge and accept, thus the reason of the pursuit of stability and the status quo.

We run from the anxiety of uncertainty all of our lives: a stable job, a monogamous foreverlasting relationship, the same city, the same habits, a TV and a house.

But are we deceiving ourselves? Should we tirelessly run from anxiety or embrace it?

The dynamism of everything is not a one way street to the negative, it can also foster positive change. Excessive stagnation leads to inadaptability and anachronisms that will prove to be negative.

Strife and discord both provoke anxiety, for they break the stability of a system, but this unstabilization of the status quo can mean appropiation and betterment.

Shunning everything that provokes anxiety, is also shunning the possibility of positive change.

[P3nT4gR4m]

Nicely broken down. I believe you are utterly correct, however not everyone adheres to this norm. There are a lot of people, myself included, who absolutely love the moment when the ground opens up beneath the feet. I have to make a concerted effort, tho. When I feel the anxiety chemicals kicking in my mantra becomes "Adventure!" - puts me in the right frame of mind to enjoy the turmoil.

Also made me think of "the things you own start to own you" - other side of the same coin?

[The Johnny]

I emphatize with people that have a high tolerance towards anxiety, and i do my best to not cede to it.

But you gotta admit that the norm is the search of stability, thats why society/government/politics/morality plays out the way it does.

Not sure how it relates to that anti-materialistic phrase, do. Right, paying for a house instead of renting apartment fixates you to a location, giving stability, but also chaining you to that location to a degree.

[P3nT4gR4m]

But you gotta admit that the norm is the search of stability, thats why society/government/politics/morality plays out the way it does.

Fuck yeah. It's why progress is always slow. Someone finds out the earth is round but all the wankers who like it flat are scared to believe. Creationism. Capitalism. Democracy... all a bunch of shite that the pussy majority are too attached to to even think about fixing.

Not sure how it relates to that anti-materialistic phrase, do. Right, paying for a house instead of renting apartment fixates you to a location, giving stability, but also chaining you to that location to a degree.

Not quite. Think about how you grow to like something a certain way to the point where you become scared it'll change. At that point you are addicted - at that point it owns you. Doesn't need to be an object, it can be a situation, a person, a worldview...