A stream of consciousness

Over time, however, something strange began to happen. The actual terrors that we faced began to lessen in intensity as we gained increasing control over our environment. But instead of our fears lessening as well, they began to multiply in number. We started to worry about our status in society – whether people liked us, or how we fit into the group. We became anxious for our livelihoods, the future of our families and children, our personal health and the aging process. Instead of a simple intense fear of something powerful and real, we developed a kind of generalised anxiety. It was as if the thousands of years of feeling fear in the face of nature could not go away – we had to find something at which to direct our anxiety, no matter how small or improbable