| Human beings can never escape the anxiety of aging and death. Every one of us must one day be separated from our families and loved ones. We can get all the insurance coverage we like for illness, accidents or disasters, but there is no protection against aging and death. Even if everything is going along smoothly, we can never assume that our personal and working lives will continue to be trouble-free. Everyone born in this world must forever battle with a variety of anxieties. Some parents try to protect their children from every conceivable fear and worry, at the very least trying their best for their children. However, such over-protected children often end up spiritless, or, at the other extreme, impudent and shameless. Children who grow up facing different anxieties, such as financial struggles or serious illness, together with their parent, often end up becoming tough and deeply compassionate individuals. There is nothing more disagreeable in life than anxiety. However, without anxiety, human beings would become lazy and complacent, and more selfish and stubborn. Our desire to eradicate or conquer anxiety and avoid the difficulties of life allows us to walk along a straight path of life with determination. People manage to live good lives and build happiness because fear gives them anxiety and they try hard to conquer it. Thus, deliberately creating fear and anxiety can often be a secret weapon to draw out people's latent abilities and talents. If we try to escape anxiety, our fears will grow into obsessions and torment us even more. A better way to live is to battle against anxiety realizing that it is a necessary ingredient of human life. |