In today's world, whether you are trying to catch a flight - being screened by security in an airport, riding a train in a crowded subway, waiting for a bus, walking in the street, shopping for food, or in your own home watching the news - you can see it on the faces of people, you can hear it in their voices, you can feel it in your own self - STRESS.
It's a new brand of stress, of living in the terror of the technologically advanced, yet uncertain world of the post 9/11 - 21st century. It's marked by frustration & anxiety, alienation, resignation and violence; "There is not enough time; It's too hard; It's unsafe; It's humiliating; it feels powerless & helpless; why bother; whatever…". Acting out, acting in, reacting, retaliating.
In the body it feels like restlessness and anxiety. The chest is too tight to take in a full breath. The mind is racing with thoughts. We tend to respond with either 'losing it' or shutting down. Being human, we naturally try to scan our environment for safety; we seek refuge, we need a break, and a place to rest. We need food to satiate our hunger, and we need to feel real & respected. This is global. It's the common denominator of the human family. The difference is only in style, manner and ways of expression.
