The instinct for survival takes precedence. And its companion is fear. Fear mobilizes us to survive. Distant threat inspires dread. Imminent threat ignites terror.
Anxiety is fear without a realistic threat.
Tuesday, I talked with a girl in my office who voiced her anxiety that terrorists might strike us anytime. Her vision was one of Armageddon, wherein the forces of craziness and random violence overcame us all. While adults have experience, knowledge and the opinions of experts to guide them, children have fantasy. An adult realizes that Jupiter, Fla., is an unlikely terrorist target and feels personally safe despite terror elsewhere. A child imagines more and may mistake imagination for potential reality.