Anxiety - a modern illness?

Came across a great quote the other day (thanks Alistair). "Anxiety is one of the greatest of modern ills. And it flourishes most in the fat soil of security. It is a middle-class disease, endemic in those countries which enjoy the highest standards of living and the greatest stability. We have banished fear, which is a healthy emotion, only to admit anxiety, which is a morbid one. We no longer wake up in the morning mildly astonished and delighted to have been safely brought to the beginning of this day. We no longer spring to our feet to satisfy ourselves that there is no immediate threat. Instead we come gradually to consciousness, and lie in bed in complete safety, gnawed by anxiety... The man who pins his faith on security is bound to suffer from anxiety, for he knows in his heart that however many insurance policies he takes out, he can never really be safe. This very night his soul may be required of him. It is only when he turns outward, to some end outside himself, in other words embarks on life's adventures, that he saves himself and exchanges anxiety for mere fear."
Tom Price. Former Warden (Executive Director) Outward Bound Mountain School, Eskdale, England (1960’s), Mountaineer; Address to the RSA 1966

A great piece of wisdom from more than 40 years ago. Now more than ever we seem to have a focus on eliminating risk in our lives and so this piece of advice would seem to be more relevant than ever. One of our challenges is to advocate for the role of risk in our activities as a legitimate learning tool. This is something we will be working on in the year ahead.